Check out the 2022 lineup
Dame Mary Berry
Mary Berry is one the country’s best loved cookery writers, television presenters and honorary Red Sock(!) and it is a real honour to have her back in the Cookery Demonstration Tent for her eighth appearance.
The past couple of years have been extremely busy for Mary who has been fronting a number of series for the BBC including Mary Berry’s Love to Cook, Mary Berry Simple Comfort, Mary Berry’s Fantastic Feasts and many more for the BBC.
In 2020 Mary was awarded the honour of becoming a Dame, Mary is an RHS Ambassador, Patron of the Child Bereavement Trust and President of the National Garden Scheme.
Mary trained at The Cordon Bleu in Paris and Bath School of Home Economics and in the swinging ‘60s became the cookery editor of Housewife magazine and later, Ideal Home magazine. She first appeared on television in the 1970’s when she became the resident cook on Afternoon Plus with Judith Chalmers. Since then she has written over eighty cookery books with total sales of over six million pounds.
Mary will be signing copies of her cookery books after each demonstration.
James Martin
James made a great impact with his television debut in November 1996 and has rarely been off screen since. He was a regular chef on Ready Steady Cook (BBC2), and in 2006 reached the semi-finals of Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1). He went on to present BBC1’s hit series Saturday Kitchen for 10 years, regularly attracting viewers in excess of 3.5 million.
2017 has seen James’ career soar, with new series for ITV; ‘James Martin’s French Adventure’, ‘James Martin’s American Adventure’, and a return to weekend TV in ‘Saturday Morning with James Martin’. After featuring his beloved dogs in previous series, James will host episodes of ‘Britain’s Favourite Dogs’ for ITV, and ‘Walks with my Dog’ for Channel 4.
For three years James had his restaurant at The Talbot, in Malton, North Yorkshire, where he spent all of his childhood. The restaurant was placed in the Michelin Guide within a year of opening in 2012. James Martin Manchester opened in September 2013 and listed in The Sunday Times Top 100 Restaurants 2015. His latest venture, James Martin Kitchen, opened in 2015 at Stansted Airport leading to further successful openings at Manchester Piccadilly station, Glasgow Airport and Debenhams Lakeside, with more to come. In February 2017 James opened his cookery school at Chewton Glen.
James is passionate about celebrating British food, using the best ingredients possible to create simple, delicious recipes accessible to all. When not pursuing his love of food, James follows his other interests of bikes, planes and automobiles.
James is the author of 18 popular cook books and he will be signing his book after his demonstrations.
John Torode
A hugely popular and influential figure on the UK culinary circuit, John Torode is best known as the straight-talking co-host and judge of BBC1's MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and previously Junior MasterChef. He is also a regular guest chef on ITV's This Morning, appearing both in studio and on location with his cookery travel segment Torode On The Road. John and his wife Lisa Faulkner co-host John & Lisa's Weekend Kitchen on ITV.
John went back to his roots with TV culinary road trips - John Torode's Australia, Malaysia, Korea, Asia & Middle East for UKTV / Good Food Channels & Argentina for BBC1. His new show, John Torode’s Ireland, is out on the Discovery Network.
Melbourne born chef John started his cooking career at the tender age of 16, before moving to the UK and joining the Conran Group before going on to run his own successful restaurants Smiths of Smithfield & The Luxe. He is credited as one of the main players in introducing Australasian food to the UK in the mid-1990s. John’s indisputable passion for the industry is infectious and he was awarded an MBE recently for services to food, broadcast & charity. A well-known food writer, his cookery books and writings have all received huge critical acclaim, John's recent cookbooks include the bestselling My Kind Of Food: Recipes I Love to Cook at Home and Sydney To Seoul: Recipes From My Travels In Australia And The Far East.
Jose Souto
Jose studied at Westminster Kingsway College. After leaving college and doing a stint abroad in Spain, Jose worked as a Chef at the House of Commons (HOC) for over 11 years. While working at the Commons he also took the opportunity to work at some of London’s top establishments including Le Meridien, Mossimans, The Ritz, the Intercontinental Park Lane and The Savoy. In 2004, he wrote a training manual on Game for the trainee chefs at the HOC which lead to a lecturing post at Westminster Kingsway College. Since then he has become one of the leading Game Chefs in the UK with knowledge of not only how to cook Game but also about its harvest and preparation.
Jose is a keen countryman living in Cambridgeshire with his wife Charlotte who has a well-known falconry business CJ’s Birds of Prey and their son Luis. In June 2022 Jose was shortlisted and won the prestigious Chef Lecture Award at the Craft Guild of Chefs Awards. These awards are the Oscars of the chef world and Jose received his prize at a star-studded awards dinner in London. He practices most country sports, falconry and stalking being the ones he loves most.
The Clink
The Clink works in partnership with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to deliver multiple training projects: restaurants, gardens, kitchens and an events catering business.
All projects utilise a Five Step Integrated Programme to ensure that the students receive the support they need, not only while they are in prison but also post-release. These steps are: Recruit, Train, Support, find Employment and Mentor.
The delicious, high-quality meals at The Clink Restaurant at HMP Styal are cooked and served by the prisoners in training who are working towards gaining their City & Guilds NVQs in Food & Beverage Service, Professional Cookery and Food Hygiene.
Tim Sidaway
From designer to organic livestock farmer, award winning restaurateur to writer, Tim Sidaway has always been dedicated to inspiring people to enjoy sustainably sourced and locally grown food. This has never been more of an issue than today.
This year Tim has been working with colleagues from Derbyshire Virtual School on a summer long cookery project. From foraging to mastering key skills, a diverse group of young people, who are supported by the Virtual School, have been taking part. Tim’s demonstration at Chatsworth this year will introduce some of the young people from the project and will celebrate their successes and look forward to a new generation of food heroes.
Chris Mapp - The Tickled Trout
Chris owns the proudly independent award winning ‘The Tickled Trout’ nestled in the idyllic Derbyshire village of Barlow.
Since opening in the summer of 2014, The Tickled Trout’s reputation has grown and is regarded as one of the best places to eat in Derbyshire having won the Derbyshire Life Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year 2018. In 2019 Chris was awarded Chesterfield Food Hero.
Chris exudes a passion for food and his pedigree as a chef is impeccable, training under Marcus Wareing at the Michelin starred Pétrus restaurant in London before heading to the Michelin starred Greenhouse restaurant in Mayfair. More recently, he co-owned the famous No.6 Restaurant in Padstow in partnership with his good friend Paul Ainsworth before returning to his home county.
Chris couldn’t believe his luck when his old local came up for sale and has worked tirelessly with his team to create this stunning dining pub that his home village can feel proud of, using top ingredients sourced from excellent local artisan suppliers they know and trust.
Eva Humphries – Wholefood Warrior
Delicious food that just happens to be good for you. Eva Humphries, DipION, mBANT, CNHC, is a leading BANT registered nutritionist with a realistic approach to healthy eating. Forget everything you think you know about nutrition, do away with the notion of calories and consider a thought-provoking perspective that focuses on the addition of foods. Eva’s approach to nutrition is just that, a down to earth culmination of science-backed ideas that work to improve how we feel everyday but without worrying about “bad” foods or restrictions. Her creative angle means she speaks less about avocado on toast and focuses more on things that matter, such as ‘are there any hangover cures that work’, ‘what to eat for better sleep’ and ‘shortcuts to having more energy’. At festivals, Eva hosts energetic cookery demonstrations of delicious dishes that also happen to be good for you and/or entertaining workshops on the essentials of nutrition.
When not on stage, Eva is busy with her nutrition clinic. She also provides wellbeing talks for businesses, speaks at conferences and writes for magazines, all in the name of telling the world that nutrition is just about eating more whole foods, not about going on a diet.
Luke Payne - The Pack Horse
Luke took over as chef/owner at The Pack Horse, Hayfield in September 2016. Coming from an entirely self-taught background, Luke’s cooking is influenced by his thrifty living at university and using his free time to watch reruns of River Cottage, where he found his passion for seasonal and ethically-sourced ingredients.
By reading the cook books of chefs he admires, along with a constant flow of ever-changing, British seasonal produce, Luke's cooking becomes a flavour-forward snapshot of the British food calendar, focusing on the quality of produce prepared with care and simplicity. The Pack Horse has since found itself climb to no. 32 in the top 50 gastropubs, a recommendation in the Michelin Guide, and a place for Luke in the Code Hospitality 30 under 30 list.
Adam Harper - Cavendish Hotel
Adam is the Head Chef at the Cavendish Hotel, Baslow. He is very enthusiastic about cooking and thrives in the kitchen with his passion and natural creativity. He made it through to the finals of the prestigious Roux Scholarship competition this year and came runner up.
Nathan Senior - The Cow
Award-winning chef Nathan Senior began his prestigious career on the Cornish coast and moved to Derbyshire 10 years ago. Nathan worked at the award-winning Meynell Ingram Arms in Hoar Cross before taking over the reins at The Cow last year and they jumped at the chance to hand over The Cow kitchen to such a skilled and knowledgeable chef.
Nathan expressed his ambition to bring the joy of Cornish fish and seafood to local people, and to this end, he went back to Cornwall to set up supplies from boats in Newlyn, Looe, Mevagissey and other Cornish ports. Nathan is passionate about the produce from his home county and wanted to do something special unique and exciting at The Cow from the previous British Tapas offer. Many local customers and visitors were looking to eat healthier dishes, and many enjoy fish and seafood. However, finding high-quality fresh produce in the middle of Derbyshire isn’t easy. Nathan has set up a system to take fish landed on the day, packed on ice, and delivered to The Cow the following morning. The Cow now boasts an enviable seafood dining restaurant “The Catch at the Cow” thanks to Nathan.
The Cow continues its award-winning success story and has been recognised by Sawday’s plus been featured many times in The Times and Telegraph as one of the top 10 places to visit in the country.” The Catch at The Cow has created many a talking point and adds a refreshing addition to the food and drink scene within this quiet part of Derbyshire.
Prakash Rawat & Harcharan Chandhoke – Lotus Indian Kitchen
Lotus Indian Kitchen has made a huge impression on the Derbyshire dining scene since opening in 2018.
It steers away from the inauthentic dishes of the typical British curry house, instead serving the vibrant food and flavours you would find in India itself.
Head chef Prakash Rawat hails from the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand and trained in Mumbai and then Hyderabad, which is famed as one of India's foremost culinary centres. He will be joined on stage by Lotus co-owner (and national newspaper journalist) Harcharan Chandhoke.
Ray Moody
Ray started his career in Nottingham training in Thai food and progressed into modern British cuisine in a selection of Derbyshire establishments.
He became the head chef at The George Stoke on Trent obtaining 1 rosette. He then went on to receive 2 rosettes at The Shoulder of Mutton Derbyshire
Now at Santo’s Higham Farm Hotel with 1 rosette accolade which has been held for over 15 years.
Ray is a huge believer in the local produce and suppliers in our area and taking inspiration from his team to pass on to the customers.
Mark Aisthorpe – The Bulls Head, Holymoorside
After working all around the country in high-end hotels, many with 1 or 2 Michelin stars, Mark Aisthorpe decided it was time to open his own establishment in 2016. After a long search of many premises he finally decided on The Bulls Head in Holymoorside, Chesterfield where he believed he could put his talents to use.
Mark’s menus are hyper seasonal and have a supply chain that is from a limited geographic area. Relying on local forages and neighbouring farmers to supply the best possible produce we can buy. Situated in the heart of the Peak District the farm to table concept is ideal and is made use of.
The Bulls Head menus change daily depending on the quality of produce they can source. Mark prides himself on only using the best local produce to bring you a truly stunning experience in modern British cuisine. Mark appeared on Great British Menu this year which saw his talents get him through to the regional finals.
Adam Thackeray & Max Fischer - Fischer’s Baslow Hall
The award-winning and much talked about restaurant with rooms. The food at Fischer’s is both bold and flavour focused, classically routed yet inspired by modern techniques and cookery. The menus start with the finest ingredients, including locally sourced and foraged produce wherever possible, which are crafted into unique dishes that will stir up memories for years to come. Matched with a range of premium and hard-to-find wines, it’s no wonder that guests return time and time again.
Alongside food, Fischer's are proud of the warm, exceptional service that they have become renowned for. Every guest leaves Fischer’s feeling relaxed, revived, and confident that they have enjoyed the absolute best in warm Derbyshire hospitality.
