2023 Festival Highlights
The 2023 Dorset Seafood Festival was a roaring success – a weekend of wonderful weather, sensational seafood and family fun, attracting a record number of visitors to the beautiful Dorset coast.
The event, held on 9th & 10th September, on the Weymouth Peninsula, beat all our expectations, drawing seaside crowds, seafood enthusiasts, industry professionals and sustainability advocates from across the UK. Amidst the vibrant atmosphere of the festival, visitors enjoyed glorious Dorset fish and shellfish, refreshing Badger Beer and fine English sparkling wine, great gift shopping, live music, chefs’ masterclass demonstrations, educational workshops and much more.
The Festival continued its commitment to the Weymouth fishing community and to seafood sustainability, raising over £6,000 for The Fishermen’s Mission, and recognising exceptional local contributions to ocean health within the industry.
Fabulous Seafood
Our market stallholders created a varied and mouth-watering menu of #seafoodstreetfood from around the world, created using fresh local ingredients. Our travels included Thai style mussels, Chilli and soy squid, Crabbie samosas, Sepia en salsa de tomate, Seafood paella, Greek style king prawns, Dressed crab caesar salad, BBQ lobster and traditional fish and chips.
Chefs’ Theatre
A real highlight of the 2023 Festival were the live masterclass demonstrations from top chefs across the two demo stages – the Harbour Stage and the Bay Stage. Our 2023 chefs and culinary experts included Steven Lamb, Nigel Bloxham, Mike Naidoo, CSGT Mike Beaton MBE, Radhika Mohandas, John Wright, Duncan Lucas and Mark Woodhouse.
Live Music
Fun for Everyone
Ready, steady cook! School of Fish, in partnership with Weymouth College, was a children’s cookery workshop for junior chefs. Kids could try their hand at making tasty seafood dishes with the help of fully trained local chefs, before gobbling up their creations.
