Hot on the heels of the Saturday guest chef announcement, Matt Tebbutt, Francesco Mattana and Jasmine Mitchell will be stepping up to the plate in the 500-seater cookery theatre at Thoresby Park on Sunday 20th September.
Earlier this year, Matt Tebbutt joined MasterChef: The Professionals as a judge. The role represented a major step in his television journey and shows how highly regarded he is within the British culinary world.
Before his foray into food, Matt studied Geography and Anthropology at Oxford Brookes University. Following an academic background Matt chose to follow his passion for cooking. He trained professionally at the prestigious Leiths School of Food & Wine in London. This decision marked the beginning of his transformation into a skilled British chef and TV show host. He gained valuable experience under well-known chefs, including Marco Pierre White.
A presenter of Saturday Kitchen on BBC One, Matt has also gained popularity through Food Unwrapped on Channel 4, where he explores food production and consumer knowledge. In addition to television, Matt has contributed to British food culture through his cookbooks. His work reflects a love for comforting, traditional, and modern British cooking. Books like Cooks Country: Modern British Rural Cooking highlight his focus on quality ingredients and approachable recipes.
Joining the Sunday roster is the ever-popular Francesco Mattana. Born and raised on the island of Sardinia, in the south of Italy, Francesco has built a loyal following through his social media platforms, with over 2.5M followers across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube. Francesco frequently shares his vast culinary expertise and passion, inspiring followers of all skill levels to step into the kitchen and start cooking. Francesco is also a strong advocate for sustainable eating and minimising food waste, a value instilled in him through his Sardinian upbringing, where every part of an ingredient is put to good use.
At that age of 23, Francesco founded a small Italian restaurant and pizzeria in Brisbane, Australia, which was nominated as one of the top Italian restaurants in the city. In 2018, he became Head Teaching Chef at Jamie Oliver's Cookery School in London. He has worked and collaborated with Food at 52, Eataly - La Scuola, Emilia's Pasta, The Pasta Academy run by Pasta Evangelists and Bread Ahead Baking school.
Francesco’s debut cookbook Eat Like a Sardinian, Live to 100 will be published by Murdoch Books on 28thMay 2026.
Concluding the Sunday line-up is Jasmine Mitchell, winner of C4's The Great British Bake Off. Born and raised in Edinburgh, she is studying medicine in London, training to become a doctor. She grew up learning to bake alongside her family, creating food for large family gatherings in the Scottish Highlands.
Jasmine brought a calm, methodical approach to the baking tent, earning five 'Star Baker' titles and multiple handshakes from Paul Hollywood. Not only did she showcase an unbeatable set of skills, flavours and designs, she brought personal authenticity to the competition, openly sharing her journey with alopecia and choosing to bake without a wig, a powerful statement of confidence that drew a huge response from the viewers.
When she’s not engrossed in her medical training, Jasmine enjoys wild swimming and long-distance running. She is currently developing cookbooks, dining partnerships and showcasing her creative cookery at food festivals.
Eat Well for Less presenter, Chris Bavin is once again in charge of the cookery theatre chat. An audience favourite and never one to shy away from interrogating the guest chefs and unravelling lively and light-hearted banter.
As well as being a regular reporter for The One Show, Chris has produced two cookbooks, ‘Good Food Sorted’ and Fakeaway.
A weekend of fabulous foodie fun, there’s plenty to see and do, including, workshops, bars, street food, live music and plenty to keep the kids occupied too from cookery schools to circus workshops and much more.
Also appearing on Saturday 19th September are John Torode and Lisa Faulkner, Dean Edwards and Claire Syrenne.
This truly is a value for money day out, with tickets from just £12, available via the festival website, VIP tickets, children and family ticket options are also available, and under six years go free.
www.festivaloffoodanddrink.com
