Mudeford Seafood Festival to debut with tasty menu of top chefs

CELEBRITY chef Brian Turner will be showing off his cooking skills with fish as fresh as you can find at the first Mudeford Seafood Festival running from tomorrow (Saturday) to the Monday bank holiday.

The three-day celebration of one of the south coast’s most historic fishing quays will also feature well-known local cooks Alex Aitken of Harbour Hotels, and Pete Roberts of the Thomas Tripp and the Seafood Shack.

Also displaying her skills will be well known TV cook Rustie Lee, while local celebrity Fred Dineage will be hosting a cooking demo by Colin Nash of the The Three Tuns in Bransgore which will include a Q&A with the audience.

Mudeford Quay has been a focal point of the local fishing industry since the 1600s - when it was also notorious for being a haven for smugglers.

Fisherman still use traditional methods to catch crab from just off the shore in Christchurch Bay and their display of nets and pots have become part of the attraction for visitors.

Taking place all over the bank holiday weekend, the free event will feature more than 60 stalls including many selling fresh seafood so visitors can get to taste what the sea off Mudeford has to offer.

There will also be live music from local bands including The Royal Ts and The Moddey Duo. For kids there will be a traditional fun fair and street entertainers.

Organised by local events company XC Pop Up, the focus of the festival is on sustainability. The company sponsors an annual litter clean-up of the quay and is setting up the Take 4 from the Shore initiative, which encourages people to take four items of rubbish away with them whenever they visit.

XC Pop Up director Chris Rice said: “We are extremely excited to be organising Mudeford Seafood Festival, an event which we hope will become a favourite each year for all the family and foodies but importantly support and showcase our wonderful local producers, suppliers, artisans and chefs.

“The response across the local business community and helping to get the festival off the ground has been overwhelming and the buzz across social media has been fantastic.

"We are also very lucky to have Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, Ringwood Brewery, Hattingley Valley, Conker Spirit and The Outdoor Versatile Oven, all on board generously sponsoring the festival.”

On Saturday and Sunday the festival is open from 10am-8pm and on Monday from 10am-6pm.

To find out more go to www.mudefordseafoodfestival.co.uk.