Published September 4th, 2018
Highly-acclaimed culinary trio Rick Stein, Paul Ainsworth, and Nathan Outlaw will be headlining alongside a host of gastronomic A-listers at this year’s Padstow Christmas Festival.
The longstanding champions of the annual event will be joined by a Who’s Who of award-winning chefs, including Nieves Barragán Mohacho, Phil Vickery, Brian Turner, Angela Hartnett, Reza Mahammad, and Channel 4’s Million Pound Menu judge, Atul Kochhar.
The festival, which runs from 6 – 9 December, is one of the largest of its kind in the country, attracting tens of thousands of people to the picturesque harbourside town.
As well as showcasing the talents of celebrity and local chefs, Padstow plays host to more than 100 stalls in its famous Christmas market, packed with artisan crafts and locally-produced food and drink.
The free-to-attend event also features live music, a lantern parade, Santa’s grotto, and fireworks display.
“We’re always delighted to be able to show off the talent of so many incredible chefs, and are overwhelmed by the number who travel from all over the country at such a busy time of the year,” said festival organiser, Tina Evans.
“Now in its 11th year, the Christmas festival has been instrumental in giving the town an out-of-season economic boost, so it’s great to see that Padstow continues to attract some of world’s best chefs.”
Festival favourite, Nieves Barragán Mohacho, will return to Padstow this year, flushed with the success of her new London restaurant, Sabor, which has been listed among the top ten in the country, despite having opened only a few months ago.
“I love Padstow, and the Christmas festival is one of my favourites,” said Nieves.
“I get most of my seafood and fish from Cornwall and I just love it. Padstow has amazing crabs and the fish is super fresh. I also love the restaurants.
“Cornwall is quite similar to northern Spain, and Padstow reminds me of the town I grew up in outside Bilbao, so I feel connected.”
The two chef stages will feature more than 60 cookery demonstrations, as well as food forums and themed workshops.
Nathan Outlaw will open the festival in the Sharp’s Chefs Theatre at midday on 6 December.
