The first phase of chefs and bakers for the Scrumptious Bluewater Food Festival’s ‘Big Cookery Stage’ have been announced, making the bank holiday weekend event truly unmissable.
The celebrity line-up includes:
Iconic British chef and TV star, Rosemary Shrager
Kent’s very own GBBO finalist from 2020, Laura Adlington
GBBO 2023’s fan-favourite Saku Chandrasekara
ITV Lorraine’s ‘Cake Club Queen’, Suzy Pelta
Author of seven cookbooks and star of GBBO 2014, Chetna Makan
GBBO 2021 finalist, Chigs Parmar
GBBO 2021 semi-finalist and author of ‘German Baking’, Jurgen Krauss
The celebrities will be hosting a range of cooking demonstrations from Saturday 25th May until Monday 27th May, as well as signing their cookbooks for fans and foodies.
What’s more, guests will also be able to browse artisan stalls and a street food market in the 12,000 sq ft event space. Set to be one of the largest food festivals in the region, Bluewater’s first ever food and drink festival is in partnership with Scrumptious Food Festivals and will take place over the late May Bank Holiday weekend around the Marquee outside the centre’s Village.
Guests will be spoiled for choice with street food vendors bringing tastes from across the globe to Bluewater for the festival’s debut event, including Kent’s very own Whitstable Oyster Trading Company, and Pakistani street eats from Baba Dhaba.
The festival’s artisan market will be filled with specially selected wares and delicacies to take away, with trading pitches still available for a limited time.
Bluewater’s Marquee will be transformed into a shopping haven, with the Humble Country team curating a line-up of boutique independent businesses, offering unique homewares, gifts and accessories.
James Waugh, Centre Director at Bluewater, said: “We have already seen huge interest in our debut food festival following our announcement a few weeks ago, and phase one of the celebrity line-up is sure to appeal to an even wider audience. We are excited to be hosting a range of such talented chefs and bakers here at Bluewater and can’t wait to learn from the professionals.
“We know that people are choosing to visit locations that offer them a wide range of experiences, from unique leisure concepts through to great food and drink. Scrumptious Food Festivals are experienced operators and, having seen their other food and drink events, we know we’re in for a fantastic food festival here this May.”
Lotte Duncan, food presenter, author, chef, and co-founder of Scrumptious Food Festivals, added: “We are delighted to announce the first celebrity stars for the first ever Scrumptious Bluewater Food Festival, and we think that guests will be too! We’ve worked with these pros numerous times before so we can assure festival-goers that they’re in for some thrilling demonstrations.
“We’re still taking applications for artisan traders, so please get in touch if you’d like to be involved in this slice of Kent’s history. Our street food market is now at capacity, but the team at Humble Country are taking applications for independent businesses selling homewares or gifts.”
Further details about the festival, including the second phase of the celebrity chef line-up, ticket booking link, and event timings will be announced in the coming weeks. Stall holder applications for artisan vendors can be made at https://scrumptiousfoodfestivals.co.uk/stall-holder-application-2024/, whilst small businesses interested in exhibiting in the Humble Country shopping marquee can apply at https://www.humblecountry.co.uk/exhibit-with-us/.