Exmouth's celebration of the Exe Estuary

Hundreds of people turned out to celebrate the food and heritage of the Exe Estuary on Exmouth seafront last weekend.

Last Saturday, September 24, was the first joint Spirit of the Exe and  Exmouth Mussel Festival.

The event was organised by the Exmouth Town Council and the Exe Estuary Management Partnership  - a group of eight councils and other organisations responsible for managing the Estuary – including Exmouth Town Council.

Seafood lovers reclined on deck chairs and watched live music, street acts and cookery demonstrations while eating food provided by Exmouth Mussels.

A crowd gathered early to join Chris Holland for a foraging walk along the shoreline, Bear Grylls style.

With over 20 years’ experience, Chris was able to safely guide the group in discovering which natural edibles could be made into a delicious dish, which was later created on the chef stage.

Chris joined other live cooking demonstrations from local chefs including Daryl Price, chef at the Point Restaurant, Kathy Evans, chef at the Chronicle Restaurant and Sue Stoneman, South West Chef of the Year finalist.

The festival also reflected the town’s fishing heritage dating back hundreds of years.

Budleigh’s David French demonstrated a decades-old family tradition of handmade willow crab and lobster pots

Mike Smylie demonstrated the traditional way of  smoking kippers in a barrel alongside an eclectic mix of stalls including several showcasing some of the watersports on offer in an around the Estuary.

While locally artists displayed and sold  variety of sea-themed art works.

Stephanie Clark, Exe Estuary Officer from the Exe Estuary Management Partnership said: “The festival was a huge success.
“It was great to see so many people turn up and enjoy all of the delicious local food and drink the area local to the Estuary has to offer.
“Hundreds of bowls of steaming mussels were sold to hungry visitors.
“Local music acts kept the crowds entertained all day, whilst the mixture of live cooking demonstrations taught something that all levels of abilities could try at home.
“The event was a real celebration of everything that the estuary has to offer from past to present.”

To be kept updated about future events on the Exe Estuary, email Stephanie at  exeestuary@devon.gov.uk or visit www.exe-estuary.org