Rock Oyster Festival

Country’s leading chefs to join Laura Mvula, Happy Mondays and Passenger at north Cornwall festival.

A Cornish food and music festival has announced an A-list line-up of chefs, curated by Cornwall’s own Jack Stein, alongside internationally-recognised music headliners at an unrivaled location on the coast.

Rock Oyster Festival, 29 to 31 July 2022, has teamed up with chef Jack Stein to bring some of the best chefs in the country to Dinham House, near Rock, for a weekend of cookery demonstrations, food and feasting.

Jack will host TV personalities such as Gizzi Erskine, Rosemary Shrager, Rick Stein, and Romy Gill, with music from Laura Mvula, Happy Mondays, PassengerGrandmaster Flash, Gentleman’s Dub Club, Jade Bird, The Skints, a DJ set from Huey Morgan and Rae Morris.

Jack Stein, chef director of the Stein Restaurant Group since 2017, said: “I am delighted to be hosting this year’s festival. It has given me this unique opportunity to gather friends who I’ve met over the years to connect and celebrate delicious food in my home county.

“The location is fantastic, overlooking the Camel Estuary and Padstow, and I’m looking forward to introducing everyone to where I grew up, how it inspired my career, while sharing hints and tips on how to best prepare the delicious local produce that Cornwall provides.”

Gizzi Erskine, TV presenter, podcaster and award winning food writer, will kick things off on Friday with a demo on the main demo stage. Adam Handling, head chef and owner of Ugly Butterfly, will join Gizzi that day, along with Great British Bake-off star Lottie Bedlow.

Saturday’s line-up includes haute-cuisine teacher and presenter Rosemary Shrager; Ready Steady Cook’s Romy Gill, MBE; and Richard Bertinet, baker and bread enthusiast.

Rick Stein will take to the stage on Sunday, sharing his passion for Cornish cuisine alongside his son, only a stone’s-throw from his flagship establishment, The Seafood Restaurant. Emily Scott, of Emily Scott Food at Watergate Bay, and Gidleigh Park’s Chris Eden, the first Cornish-born chef to hold a Michelin star in their home county, will be preparing signature dishes too.

Chefs can be found cooking over an open fire throughout the weekend, with special appearances from Great British Menu contestants Jude Kereama and Lee Westcott.

Attendees can also head into the Chef Tipis, to experience intimate pop-ups from some of the UK’s top restaurants, including Rick Stein, Prawn on the Lawn, Ugly Butterfly, St Kew Inn and Ranger’s Oysters.

Food masterclasses and feasts will be running alongside demonstrations and performances. Tickets and details for these exclusive events will be released in the coming months.

Festival Director Roxy Bater said: “We knew that Jack would do an excellent job at maintaining a Cornish feel to the festival whilst inviting down world-renowned restaurateurs and chefs.

“Cornwall is the home of so many incredible chefs, producers and creatives. We are excited to share their skills with audiences who love this stretch of coastline as much as we do.”

Laura Mvula, Happy Mondays and Passenger are set to headline the festival’s musical main stage. Local Cornish bands and artists will be performing sea-shanties and classics, along with DJs playing at Mussel Beach, where festivities will continue into the night.

Wellbeing activities and water sports such as SUP yoga, surf trips, coasteering excursions and much more can be booked for visitors who’d like to take advantage of the Cornish coastline in the height of summer. Families and children are welcome, and can take part in bellyboard painting, circus skills, aerial yoga, foraging walks, tie dye workshops and a full programme of family fun.