At Delapré Abbey June 7 and 8 2025
Chef Demos in 2025
Just turn up and take a seat in the marquee.
We are delighted to welcome some fabulous local cooks to our chef demo stage in 2025. They will share their skills throughout the weekend.
Among those demonstrating are Bart Polinski, head chef at Hibiscus, James Peck of Ember fame, Northampton’s queen of Italian cuisine Carmela, Anita Chipalkatty and Adam Phillips, last year’s Northamptonshire chef of the year.
The chef demos take place hourly and are free. All the chefs wear microphones and the demonstrations are shown on large TV screens so you can see everything close up. The chefs concentrate on using fresh, locally-sourced, seasonal produce to prepare their signature dishes. Simply pull up a chair and enjoy!
Katie Johnson from Wot’s Cooking hosts the demo stage. Katie is a farmer turned broadcaster and writer, who worked as a presenter and producer for the BBC for 15 years. Here is the line-up:
SATURDAY
11am: Bart Polinski
Head chef at Hibiscus, the fine dining restaurant situated in the stunning Billiard Room at Delapré Abbey
Hibiscus was proclaimed winner of ‘Booker Dining Venue of the Year’ and Bart was awarded ‘Chef of the Year’ at the 2022/23 Weetabix Food and Drink Awards.
He will be cooking pan seared duck breast with charred shallot, butter confit carrot, carrot vanilla puree, walled garden rhubarb, almond butter, cabbage and baby potatoes.
SATURDAY
Noon: Adam Phillips
Private chef
Classically trained with hard-earned experience as understudy to some of the nation’s top chefs including at the Michelin starred Artichoke in Amersham, Adam won Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards Chef of the Year in 2023. He will be making classic French dessert Îles flottantes (floating islands), sticky poached meringues floating in a pool of sweet custard.
1pm: Carmela Sereno Hayes
Carmela’s Kitchen in Northampton
Carmela is Northampton’s Queen of Italian cuisine. Carmela grew up at the apron strings of her Italian mother and grandmother, and is an evangelist for traditional Italian cooking.
A mother of four, she is recognised as a pastaia (a specialist pasta maker) and is the author of five cookery books, including ‘Southern Italian Family Cooking’, ‘A Passion of Pasta’ and ‘Northern and Central Italian Family Cooking’.
Carmela’s mantra is to cook simple, inexpensive, flavoursome food with good quality seasonal ingredients, in keeping with the ‘Cucina Povera’ cooking style of the Italian south, which she teaches in her classes and workshops.
Carmela is a sought after cookery tutor, runs sell-out supper clubs and is currently holding monthly cookery shows at Harrods in Knightsbridge. She is working on her sixth book: ‘The Italian Vegetarian’.
2pm: James Peck and Hannah Dunne
Restaurant Ember and the Four Pears
James Peck is the culinary spark who ignited Ember, a multi-award wining restaurant in Wellingborough recently named in OpenTable’s top 100, where James and his team cook over live fire. Hannah Dunne is one of Ember’s rising stars, having recently been voted young chef of the year in Northamptonshire’s most prestigious food awards.
James learnt his trade in the Army before leaving at the age of 21 to hone his skills in high-end London kitchens. He returned to his native Northampton to set up his own niche catering business – Burnt Lemon Catering – providing fine dining for parties, high profile events and weddings.
A starring role in the reality TV show The Brigade, hosted by Michelin-star chef Jason Atherton, propelled his career to new heights. The father-of-one was one of two chefs picked by Atherton to lead a crack team in the cook-off for the finale.
James was inspired to open Ember, in Wellingborugh’s Nene Court, by his love of cooking with fire. Such is the success of the business, he has recently opened Number 13 and has just taken over the Four Pears in Little Houghton.
James and Hannah will cook smoked eel with cheddar and dill and cream cheese and scallops in shells with fermented wild garlic, samphire and smoked butter, cooked over a Japanese BBQ.
3pm: Turan Turan
YouTuber and cold smoking guru
Turan has been smoking and preserving foods for 20 years and is much sought after for his knowledge and experience.
He featured on Nadiya’s British Food Adventure on the BBC where he spent a day teaching Bake Off winner Nadiya the art of cold smoking fish and also worked with Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen apprentices in London teaching them how to smoke food.
Turan has written books on food smoking and ran a cookery school in Milton Keynes before launching a successful YouTube channel (Coldsmoking Digital Cookery School) with more than 200 videos on food smoking, charcuterie
and other food related subjects.
Turan will demonstrate hot smoke salmon and beetroot salad.
SUNDAY
11am: Adam Phillips
Private chef
Classically trained with hard-earned experience as understudy to some of the nation’s top chefs including the Michelin starred Artichoke in Amersham, Adam won Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards Chef of the Year in 2023. He will be making classic French dessert Îles flottantes (floating islands), sticky poached meringues floating in a pool of sweet custard.
Noon: Anita Chipalkatty
Hobby Cooks in Northampton
Anita is a chef, teacher and mother who has a passion for Indian cuisine. She runs ‘Hobby Cooks’ in Northampton, passing on her knowledge of authentic Indian cooking, gathered from both her upbringing and travels as an adult. Anita is on a mission to inspire and teach the cooking of practical, interesting and delicious meals using fresh produce. “There is no need for complicated ingredients when you have such great spices for taste and aroma,” she says.
Anita will demonstrate how to experience authentic Indian cuisine through dhaba cooking. Experiencing dhaba cooking is a memorable part of any traveler’s journey in India. Truckers and tourists alike often take a break to soak up the local culture and indulge in the mouth-watering cuisine served in these roadside eateries.
No restaurant can replicate the unique flavors that are a hallmark of this soul-touching indigenous cuisine. Join Anita as she recreates this one-of-a-kind experience. Her stories will transport you to the historic Grand Trunk road in India.
She will take you down memory lane to a special place that will amplify your journey – “The Dhaba,” a culinary style that originated from the truckers’ food in India.
She will be preparing the renowned Highway Dhal Makhani, which consists of black lentils simmered in a creamy sauce, alongside flaky and crispy parathas (flatbreads) garnished with white butter, cut onions, and green chillies. This will be served with a glass of creamy lassi, providing an affordable and comforting culinary experience.
1pm: James Peck and Hannah Dunne
Restaurant Ember and the Four Pears
James Peck is the culinary spark who ignited Ember, a multi-award wining restaurant in Wellingborough recently named in OpenTable’s top 100, where James and his team cook over live fire. Hannah Dunne is one of Ember’s rising stars, having recently been voted young chef of the year in Northamptonshire’s most prestigious food awards.
James learnt his trade in the Army before leaving at the age of 21 to hone his skills in high-end London kitchens. He returned to his native Northampton to set up his own niche catering business – Burnt Lemon Catering – providing fine dining for parties, high profile events and weddings.
A starring role in the reality TV show The Brigade, hosted by Michelin-star chef Jason Atherton, propelled his career to new heights. The father-of-one was one of two chefs picked by Atherton to lead a crack team in the cook-off for the finale.
James was inspired to open Ember, in Wellingborugh’s Nene Court, by his love of cooking with fire. Such is the success of the business, he has recently opened Number 13 and has just taken over the Four Pears in Little Houghton.
James and Hannah will cook smoked eel with cheddar and dill and cream cheese and scallops in shells with fermented wild garlic, samphire and smoked butter, cooked over a Japanese BBQ.
Restaurant Ember and Number 13 Wine and Cocktail Bar
2pm: Peter Czarnocki
Gourmand Pierre
Peter is the driving force behind Gourmand Pierre, a boutique hospitality business offering private dining and full service catering. Peter earned his stripes in various high-end establishments including Michelin Star and AA Rosettes restaurants in the UK and Europe. He is passionate about fresh, seasonal ingredients and will be making a Caesar salad with a twist.
3pm: Bart Polinski
Head chef at Hibiscus, the fine dining restaurant situated in the stunning Billiard Room at Delapré Abbey
Hibiscus was proclaimed winner of ‘Booker Dining Venue of the Year’ and Bart was awarded ‘Chef of the Year’ at the 2022/23 Weetabix Food and Drink Awards.