As well as marking the Food Hall and Cumbria Life Food Theatre’s 25th birthday, Phil Vickery’s appearance at the show comes in the month of his 25th anniversary as ITV’s This Morning’s longest standing chef.


He has also appeared on 150 episodes of Ready Steady Cook, Proof of the Pudding, Phil Vickery’s Pudding Club and Save Money: Good Diet.
Phil spent part of his career in Cumbria, at the now closed Michael’s Nook hotel in Grasmere. He was sous chef at the Michelin starred restaurants Gravetye Manor, in West Sussex, and 74, in Canterbury.
As head chef of The Castle hotel, in Taunton, he won his own Michelin star as well as four AA rosettes, British meat chef of the year, dessert chef of the year, county restaurant of the year in the Good Food guide and The Times restaurant of the year.
Phil’s no nonsense, no waffle, easy style of food has gained him many fans, but all with a serious underlying depth of food knowledge and expertise.

An award-winning author, he is a leading authority on gluten-free products and the National Food Ambassador for Coeliac UK. He has written 17 books on subjects from pork to game to desserts, food for diabetics and latterly frozen and canned foods.
Hospitality consultant and Food Theatre manager Lorraine Stanton said: “Since the show went to two days, and as this year is the 25th anniversary of the Food Hall, we wanted to have two celebrities. Phil has been like a resident chef at the show so it was a given he would be part of it.
“Graham Kirkham of Mrs Kirkham’s Cheese put us in touch with Tom Parker Bowles. He is going to be great fun and will be doing all sorts of things over a whole day, such as presenting and chatting with some of the chefs.”
Stars of the local food scene who will also be in the Food Theatre include Cumbria Life’s Ryan Blackburn, co-owner of Old Stamp House, in Ambleside, who will also have his new venture the Schelly to talk about.
Returning by popular demand is Scott Fairweather, who is moving on from his head chef role at the Black Swan, Ravenstonedale, and Rob Stacey will be stepping out of Levens Kitchen and heading to the show.
Harrison Ward, also known as Fell Foodie, will be cooking, while Mark and Maria Whitehead, co-founders of Hawkshead Relish, will be doing a special anniversary cooking demonstration. Graham Kirkham with Chris Leather, from Stainton Wines, in Kendal, will be taking care of all things cheese and wine, while Lovingly Artisan will take bread to another level.