Award-winning chef to headline Oban’s Festival of the Sea
A leading Scottish chef will return to his home town in May to headline a 3- day Festival of the Sea, set in Oban, the seafood capital of Scotland.
Graham Campbell, who in 2009 was one of the youngest Scottish chefs to be awarded a Michelin Star, will be providing cookery demonstrations using seaweed and sharing recipes with ingredients from the sea when he attends the Festival, organised by the Ocean Explorer Centre at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Dunstaffnage.
Fresh from his appearance on the BBC’s Great British Menu series 10, Graham will be returning to his old primary school building, Rockfield, to deliver cooking demonstrations on Sunday 29th. Rockfield is now a community hub run by Oban Communities Trust and the main venue for this year’s Festival of the Sea.
Graham, who festival organisers hope will inspire greater awareness of the local marine environment, said: “It’s amazing to be able to return to my home town to talk to people about my passion for cooking with food from the sea.
“Scottish seafood is among the best in the world. It is brilliant to have the chance to promote the produce and to increase awareness of how people can use seaweed in their cooking. I am really looking forward to it.”
Cooking demonstrations will also be given by our main local cooking magician Paul Leonard, head chef at Michelin Star restaurant at the Isle of Eriska, as well as Rachel Gillon from the Scottish Salmon Producers.
The ‘mini’ Festival of the Sea will run from May 26 – 29 this year and will include a large programme of events and activities such as trips to SAMS’ seaweed farm off the coast of Kerrera (book your ticket online now), talks and author readings, children’s crafting and science workshops, a public consultation, and a seafood and craft fair.
In just four days, the festival is hosting 15 fun-filled and informative events for everyone to enjoy.
Science is incorporated into all of the events – showing how it influences activities from our food to sports, from art to industry. The main goal of the festival is to make people feel inspired by the marine environment, proud of what the Oban area has to offer and willing to do what it takes to conserve it.
The Festival of the Sea usually takes place every two years but, following the success of the festival in 2015, SAMS is offering a more compact additional weekend event this year to meet demands for activities in the town.
Festival director Dr Anuschka Miller said: “The festival is a great way to strengthen awareness of the local environment within the community and we are fortunate to have a town centre base like The Rockfield Centre.
“We are very much looking forward to all of our events, but we are particularly excited about seeing what Graham is cooking up for us. Cooking with seaweed is new to most people, but it is a fun way to explore being creative in the kitchen.
“We organise this festival so we grow the awareness of how much the area is dependent on a healthy marine environment.”
“We are very proud that our events are free so that everyone can find out about the sea and seafood. This is made possible by our three fantastic funders: The Scottish Government, the Royal Society of Biology and SAMS.”
To find out more about this year’s events and to book your and to book your place on seaweed farm visits, go to http:// www.obanseafestival.org/ or follow us on Facebook.