THE DETAILS ON THIS PAGE ARE FOR THE 2009 FESTIVAL.
SATURDAY 21st FEB
THE HAIRY BIKERS ON SIMMONS QUAY
What a fabulous start to the Rye Bay Scallop Festival, bright sunshine, warm weather, a light breeze and the exciting arrival of the celebrated motorcycling 'Hairy Bikers'!
Dave & Si arrive Filming on Kenny Butcher's boat
Crowds of people strolled along Simmons Quay today, taking in the first really lovely spring-like day of the year. A visit to Market Fisheries saw local fisherman Russell Drew demonstrating the art of scallop shucking and cleaning and just a short walk away hundreds of Rye Bay Scallops were being beautifully cooked by Tony Isted and his team at Rye Bay Fish.
Locals and visitors to the town were able to try not only the plain pan fried Rye Bay Scallop but also various marinaded options. We were also absolutely delighted to be joined by those two famous bearded foodies from the north of england Dave Myers and Si King - The Hairy Bikers.
Hundreds of people visted Simmons Quay to try a free scallop cooked by the Rye Bay Fish team
Dave and Si were in Rye tasting our fabulous shellfish as part of a new cookery series on British Food due to be screened later on in the year. They joined Russell on his boat, they tried Tony's scallops and also paid visits to Webbe's at the Fish Cafe, The Ship Inn and The Standard Inn to watch their chefs at work.
Rye was delighted to welcome them and their team and they certainly seemed to enjoy our famous seafood .
Enthusiastic bikers, keen cooks and seafood fans came from far & wide to meet the boys
Two other interesting visitors to the scallop festival were spotted swimming up and down the Rother for most of the day eyeing up the visitors. A couple of seals regularly popped their heads up to watch the crowds throughout the day. I wonder what they made of it all!
Webbe's at the Fish Cafe - Scallop & Seafood Cookery Demonstration and Luncheon
Another great event that was so oversubscribed it will also be running on Sunday 22nd Feb too was Paul Webbe's fascinating cookery demo followed by a great scallop themed lunch. I joined an enthusiastic crowd on the top floor of his restaurant in Tower Street to watch him prepare and cook not only the scallops, but also other superb Rye Bay fish such as mackeral and plaice. It was nice to see so many people asking questions about the local produce and the benefits of using such fresh fish.
SUNDAY 22nd FEBRUARY
What a Load of Scallops Race - at The Ship Inn
Today saw the inaugural 'What a Load of Scallops' race, organised by The Ship Inn at Strand Quay which now promises to be a regular feature during scallop week.
Under starters orders with barrows full of scallops - one of the teams races along Rock Channel
Karen, Theo and Lou of the Ship were delighted by the number of entrants for the first event of its kind in Rye and were pleased to be able to hand over the race entry fees to the local Lifeboat station.
A good crowd of people waited at the finish line to watch the team from Rye Sandwich Bar race in under the bunting to win first prize.
Karen awards the wooden scallop to the Rye Sandwich Bar team, who then relax with a well earned drink at The Ship Inn, Strand Quay
Tony Isted and his team at the Rye Bay Fish company reported record sales of scallops over the weekend too. Thousands of scallops were sold and hundreds cooked and given away to hungry visitors to the town.
"It was good to see people trying the scallops who had never eaten them before. People were trying them on our stand, loving them and then seeing how easy they were to cook, were not afraid to buy some to take home." said Tony.
MONDAY 23rd FEBRUARY
Webbe's Cookery School, Scallops and Seafood
Scallop preparation and bread making classes at the Fish Cafe
I dropped in at Webbe's at the Fish Cafe this morning and found a group of very enthusiastic amateur cooks learning to prepare Rye Bay Scallops. Paul Webbe and his team were hard at work with their students teaching them all the techniques they would need to produce a very exciting menu. For a taster of what you can learn to cook (and then eat!) see the fabulous menu below:
Homemade Bread - Granary and White
Soused Herring with Horseradish cream and beetroot
Seared Rye Bay Scallop and Black Pudding with Glazed Apple Cider Jus
Pan Fried Scallops in Curry and Lime Oil with Cauliflower Puree
Pollock Tempura with Thai Chilli and Cucmber Dip
Panache of Rye Bay Seafood with Turnip Mousse, Baby Vegetables & Chive Lemon Sauce
Iced White Chocolate Parfait with Praline Wafer and Toffee Banana
I actually joined one of Paul's cookery courses last October (a thoughtful birthday present from my husband) and not only was it very informative and hands on but we were also encouraged to eat numerous courses all prepared by ourselves, with his expert guidance, and enjoyed some lovely wines too. Very good value!
WEDNESDAY 25th FEBRUARY
Scallops of the World Unite - The Ship Inn
Another brand new and exciting event was organised by the Ship Inn today. I was unable to attend, but owner Karen Northcote described the evening for me. The idea was to serve wine tastings alongside an international array of scallop dishes.
For example - *Asian style tempura scallops, served with an oyster, soy and lime sauce, *French style Coquilles St Jacques, the *Australian scallop was served grilled with a smoked prawn and barbeque sauce and most peoples favourite was the *American style Scallop Burger with matchstick fries!
There was a full house at The Ship and a good time was had by all. What a great idea!
THURSDAY 25th FEBRUARY
Gourmet Dinner at the George
The George Hotel hosted a fantastic evening, 6 great courses including a scallop and shrimp soup, a scallop and pancetta main course and a lovely plate of local cheeses. The seashore themed table was decorated with seaside plants loaned from nearby Great Dixter gardens and scallop shells were used to house the tea lights.
It was interesting to meet so many people who had come to stay in Rye because of the scallop festival - and the guests I spoke to were keen to explore the area and come back again for the Taste of Rye week in October.
Live Music and scallops at the Standard Inn
Unfortunately I couldn't get along to this event in time, but I rang the next day and found that the night had been a great success and the bar had been 'ridiculously busy'. I am sure, knowing the landlords Jonathan and Ian, that this was a great event for locals and visitors alike and will be run again.
SATURDAY 28th FEB
The Last Weekend
Saturday was another fine day down at Simmons Quay and Tony Isted of Rye Bay Fish was again cooking scallops for visitors to taste. I was able to pop down and actually enjoy a taste myself.
To sum up - we were lucky with the weather, the boats were able to go out and bring back a fine catch nearly every day of the festival and Rye played host to many, many day and overnight visitors who were all able to sample our fantastic Rye Bay catch.
A local seafood supplier reported the sale of over 18,000 scallops to local shops and establishments during the week long festival!
The Competition Winners
Jim and Margaret Orrow from Potters Bar were the lucky winners of a delicious dinner for two at The Fish Cafe. The competition ran during the festival. The couple, who are great scallop fans, had driven down from their home town for the day to visit Rye.