The Salcombe Gin Chef Theatre tent at Dartmouth Food Festival was packed to the rafters on the Sunday afternoon as BBC’s Saturday Kitchen presenter and chef Matt Tebbutt took to the stage alongside South Devon’s own Jane Baxter.

The crowd, eager to learn from their TV favourites, watched in rapt attention — many with their notebooks ready, and smiles all around.

Between Jane’s aromatic guineafowl and Matt’s crab pasties, the audience was treated to a lively, laughter-filled, tantalising session. Wine expert Andy Clarke offered pairing insights (and a few freebie tasters) while Gina Carter kept the show flowing with warmth and wit.

The four on stage together was great fun to watch — it felt less like a formal demonstration and more like a group of friends cooking in their kitchen, swapping stories, teasing one another and sharing tips.

After the session, I caught up with Matt for a chat about his love of Dartmouth, kitchen must-haves and why the festival keeps drawing him back year after year.

When asked about the one kitchen essential he couldn’t live without, Matt didn’t hesitate.

“A good, sharp knife,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be fancy, just one that feels right in your hand — but it’s got to be sharp.”

That practicality and no-nonsense approach to cooking is part of what makes him so watchable, and his enthusiasm for good food clearly extends beyond the kitchen. When it comes to eating out in Dartmouth, his answer was instant.

“The Seahorse. No question.” He assures that is nothing to do with his friendship with the Tonks family: “It’s just one of those places that gets it absolutely right — the atmosphere, the ingredients, the people. I love it.”

His affection for Dartmouth runs deeper than the food, though. Being a regular at the Dartmouth Food Festival, Matt spoke warmly about what keeps him coming back.

“This is honestly my favourite food festival,” he said. “It’s not just about the food — though that’s obviously brilliant — it’s about the people. There’s such warmth here, such community. I bring my family down, we have a lovely time. It’s a proper celebration of what makes this part of the world so special.”

Talk turned to the next generation of chefs to keep an eye on, and Matt was thoughtful.

“That’s a tough one,” he said after a pause. “There are so many talented chefs out there, and not all of them get the recognition they deserve. I couldn’t pick just one. The future of food’s in great hands, though, that’s for sure.”

Before heading off for a well-deserved pint or two in The Dolphin, no chat with Matt Tebbutt would be complete without a nod to Saturday Kitchen, the show that’s made him a weekend staple in homes across the country. When asked what he’d change about it, he laughed.

“Honestly, it’s pretty spot on as it is,” he said. “But I’d make it longer. I reckon the viewers would watch more and I could chat and cook for hours.”

As the crowd spilled out of the tent still buzzing from the live cooking, it was clear that Tebbutt’s charm lies not just in his food, but in his warmth — the same quality that keeps him, and so many others, returning to Dartmouth year after year.