TV chef and Saturday Kitchen presenter Matt Tebbutt will be taking centre stage at the Seaham Food Festival, this weekend.

Matt has never been to the North East before and said he is really looking forward to finding out more about the area. 

What can people expect from his presentation?

I’ll be cooking a couple of different dishes and hopefully having some laughs with the crowd. And maybe a few local ales…

The Northern Echo: Matt Tebbutt Matt Tebbutt

Read more: Seaham Food Festival 2022: List of celeb chefs to look forward to

What knowledge does he have of the region's dishes and what kind of spin would you put he them?

I haven’t spent much time in the North East but I do love the traditional food from the area that makes the most of local ingredients. I probably wouldn’t change them .. traditional recipes usually don’t need it.

How would he describe his style of cooking?

I don’t think I have one, but I do like to use locally reared meats, seasonal veg.. but the dishes could be any style.

As the cost of living crisis bites, how should families address this in their cooking

It’s more to do with their shopping really.. using cheaper, less popular but probably more tasty cuts of meat. Don’t throw away broccoli stalks - they are the best bit. Buy vegetables grown here in season - search out local farm shops. Using leftovers in soups and stews… yesterday’s bread has a 100 uses. It’s actually not hard to get ingenious and bring down the cost of your weekly shop.

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His thoughts on ready meals?

Ready meals have their place in busy lives but cooking from scratch doesn’t need to be time-consuming and is much cheaper.

What is the importance of teaching children how to cook?

It’s as important as teaching them to tie their own shoelaces. Once a child is interested in food and cooking they won’t lose that as they told older and hopefully they will build on it. Show them how much fun it is to get their hands dirty and make a mess in the kitchen…. And then produce something delicious to eat.

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After having started out as a pub landlord does he hanker for those days?

I’ve never pulled a pint! We had a restaurant in an old pub.. it was always just a straight restaurant. No beer on tap etc. I don’t have the energy to go back into a working kitchen, that’s a job for the youngsters.

What is it that keeps him enthused about what he does?

I love food, I love cooking and discovering new dishes and ingredients. And doing live TV is always a buzz… as exciting as a restaurant kitchen but with less stress!

When will be appear?

 Matt Tebbutt will be appearing on the cookery theatre stage at the Seaham festival on Sunday (August 7).

• Show times are 11.30am and 2.30pm.

A short biography

After gaining his chef’s diploma at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London, Matt went on to work at some of the capital’s most prestigious restaurants, including Marco Pierre White at the Oak Room and Criterion, and Alastair Little, which Matt cites as the greatest influence on his cuisine.

Matt then went on to own and run The Foxhunter restaurant in Nantyderry, near Usk in South Wales, for over 10 years. The restaurant won a number of prestigious awards including the AA Restaurant of the Year for Wales.

Currently presenting on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen, Matt also presents on BBC Two’s Best Bites, as well as Food Unwrapped on Channel 4, which is now in its eighth series.

He is also known for his work on Save Money: Good Food, Matt Tebbutt’s South Africa, the Food Network, The Big Eat and Kitchen Superheroes.

Matt released his first solo cook book, ‘Matt Tebbutt Cooks Country’, featuring all of his favourite recipes, which was closely followed by his second book ‘Guilty Pleasures’. He has also this year released a new book, ‘Weekend’, full of inspiring recipes.

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