Final celebrity chefs announced for Seaham Food Festival

Ryan Riley

The popular seaside event returns on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 August, with beachgoers able to enjoy two days of fun, entertainment, and delicious food along County Durham's coastline.

We are excited to announce the final two celebrity chefs who will delight audiences with their cookery skills, both of whom were born and bred only miles along the coast from where the festival will take place.

Stacie Stewart

Appearing at the festival's outdoor cookery theatre on Sunday will be Sunderland's Stacie Stewart, from How To Lose Weight Well.

Stacie first came to prominence after reaching the final four on BBC's MasterChef in 2010. Her success on the show resulted in more TV opportunities, and she became a regular chef on This Morning before presenting alongside Carol Vorderman, Loyd Grossman and Tom Parker Bowles on Food Glorious Food.

She has also written two cookbooks, Stacie Bakes and How To Lose Weight Well - The Complete Diet Plans, with the second tying into her TV series.

Ryan Riley

Also taking to the cookery stage on the Saturday is another Sunderland-born star, Ryan Riley, founder of the multi-award-winning Life Kitchen and Life Kitchen Cookery School.

Ryan began Life Kitchen in 2019, offering free cookery classes, demonstrations, and events to people living with cancer across the UK and Europe.

His debut cookbook, Life Kitchen, was published in March 2020 and was closely followed by, Taste and Flavour, which aimed to help people who have lost their taste from coronavirus.  

Ryan's work to help others through food secured him a spot in The Evening Standard's Progress 1,000, a list comprising of the most influential people in London.

Seven weeks to go 

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, our Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: "We are delighted to complete this year's line up for Seaham Food Festival with two amazing chefs from the North East. Ryan and Stacie will be joining a host of star-studded talent already announced for our cookery stage, each bringing with them their own unique set of skills to awe and inspire festival goers.

"With just over seven weeks to go, we can't wait to welcome back visitors to the Seaham coastline for lots of foodie festival fun."

Seaham Food Festival is just one of the many cultural events and activities taking place in County Durham this year, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to cultural-led regeneration. This includes delivering key projects within County Durham's shortlisted UK City of Culture bid and raising the county's profile as a fantastic place to live, work, visit and invest. It also includes progressing major capital projects, such as the redevelopment of the former DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery into a stunning new creative centre showcasing national and international contemporary art alongside collections that celebrate the county's heritage.