The Chefs’ Forum Devon Chefs’ Lunch was hosted this year at the historic Thurlestone Hotel, an iconic fixture of the South Devon coast since 1896.

With its stunning setting close to the coast and near Kingsbridge, the hotel provided an elegant backdrop for a celebration of Devon’s finest culinary talent and seasonal local produce.

General Manager, Daniel Thompson greeted the guests, he said

“We are very proud to have staged many events with The Chefs’ Forum over the years, both here at Thurlestone and at our sister hotel, Mullion Cove in Cornwall. It is fantastic to be able to welcome our industry peers to our newly-refurbished restaurant to celebrate delicious local produce and invite guest chefs from across Devon to come and cook with our chefs in our kitchens.”

Business Development Manager, Mary Hugo echoed Daniel’s comments and was able to add some history about Thurlestone and its place within her family for the past 125 years. She said

“Huge thanks to everyone for coming today and the brilliant chefs and front of house teams who have cooked and served the lunch. It’s so lovely to catch-up with so many industry friends old and new. We are so very lucky to have an abundance of fantastic wild and local produce on our doorstep and today’s menu really celebrated this.”

The 60 guests were welcomed with Brown Brothers Estate Merlot and Chardonnay, setting a sophisticated tone for a menu that showcased the flavours of Devon. The first course, crafted by Dan Bowden of Ocean View at The Dome, captured “Forest Flavours,” drawing inspiration from Devon’s natural woodlands.

Dan joined forces with his wife Lucy to produce an eye-catching Autumnal mushroom dish, with the star of the show being a beautifully scored king oyster mushroom and of course the Wedgwood Renaissance Red fine bone china plate on which it was served.

The fish course by Tom Westerland of The Millbrook highlighted the region’s coastal charm with a Salcombe crab and sweetcorn risotto.

The main course, a collaboration between Rene Muller of Thurlestone and James Chapman of The Village Inn, presented Dartmoor venison two ways with accompaniments like potato and cranberry dumplings, braised red cabbage, wild mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, and a rich port wine jus. This delicious wild venison was kindly sponsored by Wild Hart Venison and was harvested locally, sticking to the theme of low food miles and celebrating local seasonal produce – You can’t get more local and sustainable then local wild fallow venison!

For dessert, Samuel Brook from Pretty Little Pastries offered a pumpkin spiced latte-inspired dish, with lots of delicious elements, including espresso caramel, a gingerbread tuille leaf and a pumpkin spice crémeux-filled chocolate pumpkin and Valrhona Dulcey and ginger ice-cream, bringing seasonal warmth to the final course.

Supported by Dole Foodservice, Excel Shellfish, Wild Hart Venison, and Brown Brothers Wines, the Devon Lunch at Thurlestone Hotel celebrated the richness of Devon’s ingredients and the skill of its chefs, making it a memorable highlight in the South Devon culinary calendar.

Thank you to all our sponsors, including Pastry Gelato Equipment, Wedgwood, Dole Foodservice, SOS Catering Equipment, Chef Works, MCS Technical Products and Saucery.

Photography by Carlos Farinha