Dartmouth Food Festival has announced part of its chef line-up and programme for this year's event, with organisers introducing a new live-fire cooking area alongside returning demonstrations and talks.

The free three-day festival will take place across the town from October 23 to 25 and is expected to attract more than 20,000 visitors.

Among the chefs due to appear are Henry Harris, whose London restaurant ‘Bouchon Racine’ was recently named UK Restaurant of the Year, alongside baker Richard Bertinet, Cherie Denham and Mark Hix.

South West chefs Mitch Tonks, Nathan Outlaw and Jane Baxter will also take part.

A new feature for 2026 is the Fire & Food Quarter on the South Embankment, created in partnership with ‘The BBQ Magazine’.

The area will focus on live-fire cooking, outdoor food preparation and artisan producers.

The programme will also see the return of chef demonstrations, food talks, wine seminars and drinks tastings, as well as more than 100 market stalls featuring local food producers, growers and suppliers.

The not-for-profit festival is run entirely by volunteers and remains free to attend.

Festival ambassador Orlando Murrin said the event had grown significantly since its beginnings.

"The Dartmouth Food Festival has come a long way since its early days, when a handful of local producers and volunteers came together in the Market Square," he said.

"Today, it is a thriving celebration of food and drink from the South West that brings the whole town to life and welcomes more than 20,000 visitors annually, whilst staying true to the community spirit on which it was built."

Alongside the programme announcement, the festival has launched a new initiative for local food and drink businesses. For the first time, a Bursary Scheme is available for artisan producers within a 30-mile radius of Dartmouth.

Organisers say the scheme has been created to help smaller or newer independent businesses that may not otherwise be able to afford a pitch at a major food festival or produce enough stock for a full weekend event.

Three successful applicants will receive a free one or two-day retail pitch at the 2026 festival, together with promotion across the festival's website, newsletter and social media channels.

Applications are now open and close on Wednesday, August 26.

Festival patron Mitch Tonks said the event remained a celebration of both food and the people behind it.

He said: "The festival is a celebration not only of great food and drink, but of the people who make it possible, from renowned chefs and talented producers to our dedicated volunteers and organisers. Together, they create an atmosphere that is uniquely Dartmouth and keeps visitors returning year after year."

Further details and the bursary application form can be found at: https://www.dartmouthfoodfestival.com/bursary-application-2026/