Ed Hughes & Sam Lyne on Beer, Food and the Chef’s Table at St Ives Food & Drink Festival
Set against the golden sands of Porthminster Beach, the St Ives Food & Drink Festival is no ordinary food event. It’s a full-on celebration of Cornwall’s coastal culture – where top chefs, local producers and breweries come together for three days of food, fire, music and sea air.
This year, we’ve collaborated with Sharp’s Brewery to create an immersive Chef’s Table masterclass venue – bringing ticketed small group, hands-on sessions right into the heart of the festival experience.
We caught up with Ed Hughes and Sam Lyne, Sharp’s beer sommeliers, to talk flavour, fire, and why beer deserves a seat at the table.
What makes St Ives the perfect place to host the Chef’s Table experience?
Ed: Home to the UK’s only food & drink festival on a beach, St Ives is a pretty special one! You’ve got the beach, the atmosphere, the calibre of chefs – it’s pretty unbeatable. This festival is all about celebrating Cornwall’s food culture in a really accessible way, and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do with the Chef’s Table.
Sam: It’s a super friendly and chilled environment. People are here to enjoy themselves – barefoot on the sand, beer in hand. That gives us the freedom to make something that feels special but still relaxed.
The festival is known for its Fire Pit demos – how does the Chef’s Table build on that?
Sam: The Fire Pit demos are brilliant theatre – full of energy and creativity. The Chef’s Table is more intimate. You’re closer to the food and leaders in the industry, from top chefs to brilliant local growers, so it’s a great opportunity to have small group conversations, ask questions and learn from talented people.
Ed: It’s about slowing things down slightly. Instead of watching from a crowd, you’re part of the experience – tasting, learning, asking questions.
What sessions is Sharp’s hosting over the festival?
Ed: We’ll be hostingsome intimate table talkswith some legends in the Hospitality Industry, we’ll be talking all things veg with Ross Geach from Padstow Kitchen Garden and chatting with Henk De Villers and Nick Hemming on butchery and batch cooking!
Sam: We’ll also be bringing the fun withour Sharp’s Silent Quiz, an interactive quiz with silent disco headsets based around Food and Drink with samples and plenty of prizes, oh and a private podcast on Sunday with Ben Palmer, Andi Tuck and Guy Owen talking all things Great British menu and more.
How important is local produce to the experience?
Sam: It’s everything. You’re at a festival that celebrates Cornwall, so the ingredients and the beers should really reflect that.
Ed: You’ve got seafood landed just down the road, amazing local growers, incredible chefs. We’re just bringing the beer into that conversation.
Who is the Chef’s Table really for?
Ed: Everyone. You don’t need to know anything about beer. If you like food and you’re curious, you’ll enjoy it.
Sam: It’s about discovery. You might come in thinking you know what you like and leave with a completely different perspective. We like a challenge!
