10:20am Thursday 9th July 2009
By James Tourgout
CHEFS Mark Hix and Mat Follas are finalising recipes for the Dorset Seafood Festival this weekend.
The duo are among the top cooks lined up for demonstrations on Weymouth harbourside on July 11 and 12.
They will be joined by John Wright from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage, and Donna Horlock and Alan Kelly from Weymouth College.
Lisa Worthington, from the organising committee, said: “It is shaping up to be a fantastic event.
“There will be more than 30 stalls selling a variety of seafood.
“There will be crab, lobster, scallops, mussels, oysters, mackerel, cod, gurnard and many other Dorset-caught species.
“It is great to see Mark Hix supporting the event, along with John Wright and Mat Follas.”
She added: “It is great to have Weymouth College supporting the event as well.
“Everybody is pulling together for this thriving event for the area.”
The festival is being held as the Spirit of the Sea festival reaches its climax.
The event will begin with a swim across the harbour, based on a famous Guinness commercial, at 10.30am on Saturday. The winner will be the first to swim across the harbour, eat an oyster and down a pint of Guinness in the Old Rooms pub.
All the swimmers will raise at least £50 in aid of the Fishermen’s Mission, the main beneficiary of all money raised by the Dorset Seafood Festival.
Then, Mark Hix will officially open the festival at 11am. There will be a host of displays.
There will also be demonstrations from the Historical Diving Society, live music in Hope Square, the final of the Dorset Young Masterchef Seafood Chef competition, nautical craft displays, Fish Tucker Trials and a fish auction.
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