Taste Skelton Food Festival | Cooking Demonstrations

This year we are delighted to announce details of the five chefs cooking up their specialist recipes and demonstrating their culinary skills in the Cranston’s Quality Butchers Kitchen.

Timings are:

• 11.00am      Mr James Whitesmith, Head Chef at the popular Oddfellows Arms in Caldbeck
• 12.00pm      Mr Ben Queen-Fryer, Head Chef at the award winning Dog & Gun Country Inn at Skelton.   Cumbria Dining Pub of the year 2019 and Bib Gourmand award
• 1.00pm       Chris Taylor, Concept Development Head Chef for Cavaghan & Gray, Carlisle
• 2.00pm       Mr Ben Clementson, Head Brewer at the Brack’N’Brew Micro Brewery, Watermillock, Nr Penrith
• 3.00pm       Mr Ricardo Rodriguez, Lakeland Barn Artisan Foods, Mexican Food Master Class

Background on our chefs…

James Whitesmith | Head Chef at the Oddfellows Arms, Caldbeck
A previous globetrotting chef, James recently set down his roots with his young family having taken over this Cumbrian pub and undertaken extensive renovations.  Having travelled the world throughout his culinary career, taking in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Egypt and Jordan and also Jersey, James is whipping up a couple of courses which are sure to have a worldwide taste influence. 

Ben Queen-Fryer | Head Chef and Owner of Skelton’s Dog & Gun Inn
A regional finalist in the prestigious Roux Family Scholarship in 2015, Ben has been making quite a name for himself since re-opening the Dog & Gun Inn in Skelton. As Head Chef, his imaginative and creative menus using locally sourced produce, has earned him a dedicated local following and he was a finalist in the Cumbria Life Dining Pub of the Year 2018, but won this coveted award earlier this year.

Chris Taylor | Concept Development Head Chef for Cavaghan & Gray, Carlisle where he works with chefs and developers at M&S to develop innovatative and quality products as you’d expect. He’s worked on the Gastropub range and developed the best selling Smoked Haddock Florentine, which is delicious.   With over 20 years in the industry, Chris has experienced fine dining as Sous Chef at Sharrowbay and at 2 Michelin Starred Pied a Terre Restaurant in London. Chris is a keen cyclist and Bar-be-qu-er, coming up with weird and wacky marinates for his steaks, and loves nothing more than trying new techniques in fermenting – using locally grown and foraged produce!

Ben Clementson | Master Brewer behind Brack’N’Brew’s Ales and has been with the micro-brewery based on the shores of Ullswater since day one.  Ben will be carrying out an informative guide to the production of fine ales.

And last, but definitely not least, will be Ricardo Rodriguez, Lakeland Barn Artisan Foods who will be hosting a Mexican food masterclass.