Full details have been announced for the 25th anniversary of Falmouth Oyster Festival this week.
The event will take place at the town’s new events venue The Waterfront, next to the Church Street car park, and has a stellar line-up for its anniversary year.
It first began in 1996, but due to not taking place during the coronavirus pandemic 2023 marks the 25th event.
This year’s festival will once again be a celebration of Falmouth’s seafood and oyster fishery season, taking place from this Thursday, September 12 until Sunday, October 15, with chef demonstrations, live music and breakout celebrations.
Thursday
On Thursday there will be a performance from local children to begin the event, before Guy Owen, award-winning chef from The St Enodoc Hotel at Rock, officially opens the festival at 11am with a cookery demonstration.
Born and bred in Cornwall, Guy started his career in kitchens around the Duchy, before his first experience of Michelin-starred cooking, with Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s. He then went on to work at one Michelin starred La Trompette and 2 Michelin starred Gidleigh Park before returning to Cornwall in 2020.
After his demonstration, David Waters, head chef at Hotel Meudon, will join the festival for the first time. Also appearing on Thursday will be Nick Hemming, chef-owner of The Heron Inn at Malpas, who will this year be joined by Ed Hughes, beer sommelier from Sharp's Brewery, with Jasmine Sharma from Daaku, Falmouth ending the afternoon with her passion for mixing ancient and modern techniques of Indian cuisine.
Friday
On Friday, Cornwall College team Nick Batten and Ashley Carkeet will offer a masterclass in cookery demonstration skills, with Nick Hodges, head chef of The Greenbank Hotel in Falmouth, making his traditional appearance at the festival in the afternoon, having been delivering demonstrations at the Oyster Festival since day one.
During the late afternoon slot Jude Kereama, chef-owner of Kota and Kota Kai in Porthleven, will share some of his culinary secrets that have made Kota a three AA rosette restaurant, and named Restaurant of the Year in the Cornwall Life Food and Drink Awards.
Also on Friday, Annie Seabourne of My Fish Kitchen will be giving a masterclass in cooking fish.
The day includes the Grand Oyster Parade featuring Falmouth schoolchildren, who will parade with sealife sculptures from Discovery Quay to The Waterfront Oyster Festival Marquee between 3pm and 3.30pm.
Saturday
On Saturday the festival welcomes back James Strawbridge, an award-winning Cornish chef, photographer and sustainable living expert, and the author of several cookbooks. He is followed by Rupert Cooper, chef-owner of Philleigh Way Cookery School and The Cove Café, known for his refreshingly unpretentious approach to cooking food.
In the afternoon, Adrian Foulkes, head chef at festival sponsor St Michael’s Resort, will be joined by the hotel’s head mixologist Dave Ridgeon for a duo demo and the chance to sample Dave’s Oyster Vermouth champagne cocktail.
Annie will give a second chance to gain seafood skills, to end the day’s demonstrations. Not to be missed is the annual oyster shucking competition on Saturday between 3pm and 4pm, when competitors will have to prove their skill in shucking oysters by opening and displaying 12 native oysters as quickly as possible without compromising on quality.
Sunday
The final day of the festival, on Sunday, Culture Restaurant’s Hylton Espey, originally from South Africa, will bring nature-inspired cuisine to the morning followed by Alfie Hazlitt from Indidog, one of Falmouth’s most popular food destinations, who will deliver the final demonstration of the festival.
However, for those more interested in sampling food than cooking it, there will also be plenty food and drink stalls – with pride of place of course going to Cornish seafood and in particular the oyster, the star of the show.
Live Music
In addition to the daily cookery demonstrations, local food and craft stalls, sea shanties and live music, there will be an evening entertainment line-up: The Brim Ceilidh Band on Thursday night, The Motown Pirates supported by Guilty Pleasures on Friday and Company B, supported by The Mighty Howlers on Saturday night. Day time entry to the festival is free, while for the evening entertainment tickets can be bought via the festival website or on the door.
Working Boats
To round off the festival, Sunday sees the Oyster Working Boat Race take to the water, with prize giving between 2pm and 2.30pm, to include a guest appearance from Falmouth Marine Band.
With the oyster season running from October to March, the festival’s race is the last before the hard graft begins.
Visit www.falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk for tickets or for more information.
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