Rye gets set to come out of shell

The Festival runs from Saturday February 9 to Sunday 10 and has already secured Rye a place on the nation’s food map.

One of the highlights this year will be a quayside demonstration and talk by local expert Russell Drew which will provide the perfect opportunity to learn how to ‘shuck’ or ‘cut’ a scallop from its shell.

Russell appeared on the Hairy Bikers Sussex cookery programme demonstrating his art.

He said: “This will be an educational session so that people can learn and ask questions about fishing in the bay, harvesting the scallops,the sustainability of local fish and I’ll also be teaching some filleting techniques.”

Russell’s Talk and Taste sessions will take place on Saturday 2nd and 9th February from 10am till 12 noon.

On Saturday 9 there will be special Cooking Demos from noon at The Mermaid Inn and from noon to 2pm at Market

Fisheries care of The Beach Bistro at Camber.

“Scallops don’t get much fresher than this, literally hours from being plucked from the sea in front of us, eating them this fresh is a revelation, and I can’t wait to demonstrate a few really easy dishes for people to try at home.” Says Trevor Hambley, Chef at The Beach Bistro at the Gallivant Hotel.

For more information on Rye Scallop Festival events, visit the website scallop.org.uk.