Paul Ainsworth tops summer Rock Oyster Festival line up

A group of well-known chefs from the south-west have lined up to appear at the 3rd Rock Oyster Festival to be held at Dinham House near Rock in North Cornwall from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 June 2012. Paul Ainsworth from No 6 headlines with Stephane Delourme and David Sharland from Rick Stein’s The Seafood Restaurant; James O’Connor from St Moritz Hotel; Tom Scade from Tides at The Mariners, Rock and Andy Appleton, head chef at Fifteen Cornwall.

Now in its third year, The Rock Oyster Festival is a family-orientated food, music and arts festival held in celebration of the oyster and all that is good about fresh seafood. 

 Event organiser Charlie Anderson said: “The Rock Oyster Festival is all about celebrating the delicious seafood and top quality produce we have here in Cornwall. We are making these amazing foods accessible to everyone with all the chefs creating at least one dish for £5.

“Moving the festival to Dinham House has been a great success. It’s an absolutely stunning location, plus we have a lot more space to fit in more food providers, more entertainment and on-site camping. We also raised £4,000 for our two charities last year, the Army Benevolent Fund and Cornwall Hospice Care.”

New for 2012 is the addition of a chefs’ theatre, where the above chefs will demonstrate the best ways to cook with seafood.The chefs will battle in the oyster shucking competition where they will go head-to-head to prepare fresh oysters in the fastest time.

Organisers have already confirmed half a dozen alternative music acts from around the world, including Friday night headliners the Dub Pistols, who were voted the best live act of 2011 by DJ Mag, and the Mercury Prize-nominated band The Bees.

Mr Anderson said: “We’re hoping to be able to announce another headline music act to join the fantastic bands we already have confirmed to play the festival. The event has always made a point of booking slightly quirky musicians and performers but they all know how to put on a show.”

A limited number of 400 early bird tickets are now available at the reduced rate of £40 per person for the whole weekend, with under 12s free.

For more information and to buy tickets visit: www.rockoysterfestival.co.uk