Salcombe Crabfest is great success after three years away

Last weekend saw crowds flock to Salcombe to enjoy the long-awaited Crabfest event, with seafood, chefs and much more.

Taking place on Sunday, 1 May, Salcombe Crabfest has had a three-year absence, but that didn’t stop thousands of people descending on the town to support local tourins, local fishing and to experience the beauty of Salcombe and the excitement of the event. 

Visitors were treated to chef demonstrations from no less than seven highly skilled professionals, who created dishes ranging from prawn churros to crab salad, right in front of your eyes. With BBC Radio Devon’s David FitzGerald acting as compère, here was no shortage of entertainment in the Chefs’ Demo Marquee!

Elsewhere, the exhibitors in the street market, which encompassed the Creek Car Park, Island Street and Whitestrand, reported an exceptional day with a constant flow of shoppers. 

The occasional shower of rain didn’t dampen spirits either, with musicians including Benny Guitar Carr and sea shanty crew The Old Gaffers adding to the atmosphere. Plus, the hearty choice of food and drink producers offering street food to suit all palates, meant no visitor went hungry... from crab pasties to popcorn shrimp, the offerings were delicious!

Organised by The Rotary Club of Salcombe, with all proceeds from the 2022 event donated to Cancer Research UK, this free-to-attend festival aims to showcase Salcombe and its prestigious commodity - brown crab.

Event organiser John Sampson said, “What an incredible day! We are delighted that so many locals and visitors joined us for Salcombe Crabfest 2022. We hope to have raised a great amount for Cancer Research UK. 

“In a year where cancer has touched so many of our lives at The Rotary Club of Salcombe, this charity is all the more important to us and we are proud to be able to support it.

“We hope everyone had a superb time and enjoyed the variety of entertainment, food and drink on offer. Thank you so much to everyone who helped put on this event. Without our dedicated team of volunteers, our sponsors including Salcombe Gin, Coast & Country Cottages and Marchand Petit, and the support of many other local people and businesses, the event wouldn’t happen. 

“We look forward to seeing everyone on 7 May 2023!”

If you were unable to attend Salcombe Crabfest, or if you didn’t catch any of the demos in the Chefs’ Demo Tent, all the chef demonstrations are available to watch on Facebook - www.facebook.com/SalcombeCrabfest

MAIN IMAGE - credit Martyn Norsworthy: Some of the Salcombe Crabfest 2022 chefs (L-R Freddy Bird, Owen Morgan, Andy Richardson, Lizzie Allsop and Janey Syrett) showcasing Salcombe crab and lobster, aboard crabber Tenacious.