MasterChefs John Calton and Dave Coulson will add some sizzle to barbecued bangers as they lend a hand at the EAT! launch party tonight. KATHARINE CAPOCCI finds out more.
MASTERCHEFS John Calton and Dave Coulson will bring their unique culinary flair to the table at the EAT! launch party kicking off tonight.
Local lads John and Dave are stepping up to the plate to serve up their own stylish canapés at the event in Newcastle to kick-start the NewcastleGateshead food and drink festival.
The pair, who made it to the final three in the 2010 BBC culinary show, MasterChef: The Professionals, are currently making their mark at restaurants in the region.
But they are happy to swap work kitchens to support the festival, which incorporates a series of food- themed events over ten days.
The chefs will add a touch of sizzle to the opening party, which promises barbecued sausages – locally-sourced, of course – sensational canapés and Lindisfarne oysters, as part of a sumptuous buffet.
John, who lives in Wark in Northumberland, is executive head chef at the Duke of Wellington Inn, at Newton, near Stocksfield, while Dave, who is chef at the Castle Eden Inn, in Castle Eden, comes from Wingate in County Durham.
The one-time rivals in the MasterChef kitchen will be working side by side at tonight’s event.
The pair get together at events from time to time, including a MasterChef gathering with the show’s 2010 winner Claire Lara in Liverpool in May.
John explains: “Claire did an event where she cooked the dishes from the final. We did a function for 60 people. It was a good little get-together, a good laugh.”
John and Dave also buddied up at a chilli jam charity fundraiser at Jesmond Dene House in Newcastle last November.
Tonight’s launch party also celebrates five years of EAT! being one of Britain’s most talked-about and written-about food festivals.
The festival has blazed trails with its foodie adventures and imaginative ways of highlighting the brilliance of the region’s food producers, artisans and chefs.
The action takes place at the Stephenson Works building in Sussex Street, Newcastle, behind Central Station. It runs from 7.30pm to 11pm and tickets cost £18, which includes a welcome drink and food.
Tickets can be purchased on the door or via www.EATNewcastleGateshead.com
John says: “EAT! NewcastleGateshead really does showcase the very best of the region’s food industry and I’m proud to be part of the festival this year.
“Anything that celebrates the culinary talent in NewcastleGateshead and the wider North East has my support.
“I’m looking forward to sharing some of my cooking knowledge and hopefully getting a few new tips myself.”
John is also taking part in a demo in a theatre kitchen on Sunday at noon at Monument and also a ‘Celebrity Dine at Mine’ event in aid of St Oswald’s Hospice on Monday.
He says: “It’s a privilege to be involved with it all. I’m involved with three events – it’s going to be a really busy weekend. And it’s Father’s Day!
“For my canapés I have gone around a few of my local producers and suppliers, with veg from Ken Holland, flour from Gilchesters Organics, Ridley’s Fish and Game and Cranston Butchers – I want to do them justice.”
The launch party will celebrate the awards and successes in the North East food and drink industry over the past year.
It will include an oyster bar, sumptuous buffets and barbecues and to wash it all down, 25 local beers and 10 ciders on tap as well as local wines and cocktails.
A special EAT! birthday cake will be unveiled, with prizes going to the first 50 people to guess the secret ingredient.
There will be live music plus a foodie game to get the creative juices going.
EAT! NewcastleGateshead food and drink festival is developed and produced by NewcastleGateshead Initiative as part of its festivals and events programme. It runs from today until Sunday June 26.
The launch party is just one of a programme of events taking part over ten days ranging from restaurants in people’s homes to an edible map of the North of England.
The Big EAT! Weekend which takes place over Newcastle tomorrow and Sunday is the biggest city-based food event in the UK.
It’s a mouth-watering two days of street food markets, themed satellite festivals, cookery demonstrations, competitions and food adventures.
Simon Preston, festival director for EAT!, said: “EAT! stands out from other food festivals because it helps people see food in a new way. Food should be an enjoyable experience and that’s something we encourage throughout the festival.
“Across the ten days of EAT! we will celebrate the food, people and places of NewcastleGateshead and North East England.”
EAT! launch party, 7.30pm to 11pm, tonight. Tickets £18, includes food and welcome drink. Stephenson’s Works, Sussex Street, Newcastle, NE1 3PE. Tickets can be bought on the door. Tel: 08448 11 21 21.
See tomorrow’s Journal for your guide to The Big EAT! Weekend.
For further details on the festival see www.EatNewcastleGateshead.com
