- Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt and popular TV chef Rosemary Shrager join festival favourites Tony Singh and Julie Lin and Bake Off finalist James Morton
- New Speakers' Corner venue launches for conversation-based events and experiences
- The three-day festival celebrates Scotland's last wild, native oyster fishery from 12-14 September 2025
- Tickets now on sale with early bird pricing available
The star-studded chef lineup for Stranraer Oyster Festival 2025 has been unveiled, with Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt and much-loved TV chef Rosemary Shrager headlining a programme that promises to be the festival's most ambitious yet.
The celebrity duo join festival favourites Tony Singh and Julie Lin, plus Bake Off star Dr James Morton and six local chefs for what promises to be an unmissable weekend celebrating Scotland's last wild, native oyster fishery.
Matt Tebbutt, TV presenter, will be racing to the scenic shores of Loch Ryan from the BBC's Saturday Kitchen studio to make his debut at the festival. He will make multiple appearances across the weekend, including an exclusive 'In Conversation' event, and he will lead the festival's new Sunday Oyster Kitchen experience.
Rosemary Shrager, whose warmth and expertise have made her a household name through shows like The Real Marigold Hotel and I’m a Celebrity, brings her passion for seasonal cooking and local produce to both cookery demonstration and ‘In Conversation’ events.
Romano Petrucci, Chair of Stranraer Development Trust, said:
"What excites me most about this year's line-up is the calibre of chefs who said yes when we approached them. Matt Tebbutt, Rosemary Shrager, Julie Lin - these are people at the very top of their game who could be anywhere, doing anything, but they want to be here, in Stranraer, celebrating with us.
"That tells you everything about the reputation this festival has built. We're a destination that attracts the best talent in the country. I can’t wait to introduce this year’s chefs to Stranraer and share the passion and determination that is making our oyster festival one of the most popular food festivals in Scotland."
Matt Tebbutt said:
"I'm genuinely excited to be part of Stranraer Oyster Festival. What draws me to events like this is the opportunity to celebrate truly exceptional local produce in the place where it's grown or caught. The story of Loch Ryan's native oysters is remarkable. You've got this incredible natural resource that's been sustainably managed for centuries, and now it's the heart of a festival that's brought a whole community together. That's exactly the kind of food story I want to be part of."
New Speakers' Corner launches
The 2025 festival introduces an exciting new venue, Speakers' Corner, a dedicated 80-capacity marquee for engaging spoken word events including conversations with the festival's celebrity guests, a whisky tasting experience and talks on a range of topics, from restoring native oyster beds to community gardening.
Allan Jenkins, Events Officer for Stranraer Development Trust, said:
"Speakers' Corner is all about getting closer to the stories that make this place special. We've got world-class chefs who want to share more than just recipes, and we've got marine scientists doing work that's genuinely changing how we think about coastal ecosystem restoration. This new venue lets us bring all of that together in a way that feels relaxed and conversational."
Festival & local favourites return
Tony Singh, the festival's Chef Ambassador, returns for his fifth appearance, bringing his signature passion for Scottish produce and spice.
Julie Lin is returning for a third time. Her Saturday Kitchen appearances and passionate advocacy for Malaysian Scottish fusion and love of Stranraer have made her an oyster festival favourite.
The festival also welcomes back popular local chefs including Ryan McCutcheon, the legendary Lisi Brothers, Douglas and Massimo, David Alexander from Dunskey Estate, and introduces a special event from Penninghame Cooking School. Podcaster and cookery writer Helen Cross returns to her home town of Stranraer to host an event with Dr James Morton, expert bread baker and a finalist in the 2012 series of Great British Bake Off.
World-class oysters
Stranraer Oyster Festival celebrates the ecological treasure that lies beneath Loch Ryan's waters, more than 20 million native oysters that represent one of Europe's most important oyster beds. Protected by Royal Charter since 1701, enjoying these oysters helps support the sustainable management of the bed, which is widely recognised as an important marine conservation success story.
Stranraer Oyster Festival celebrates the start of the native oyster season, which runs from September to April. The festival has grown from a community dream to become one of Scotland's most successful food festivals, generating almost £10 million in economic impact since 2017 and attracting visitors from across the UK and beyond to this scenic corner of Galloway. Alongside the ticketed programme, the festival includes the Scottish Oyster Shucking Championship, live music and a huge artisan market, including local food, drink and crafts.
Stranraer Oyster Festival 2025 is sponsored by Lactalis UK & Ireland, alongside Rock Island whisky from Douglas Laing, Stranraer Skills Station and Loch Ryan Oyster Fishery Company. The festival is supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council's Signature Events programme and the Coastal Benefit Fund, and the work of Stranraer Development Trust is also supported by South of Scotland Enterprise and The Holywood Trust.
Tickets and information
Stranraer Oyster Festival 2025 takes place from Friday 12th to Sunday 14th September. Early bird weekend tickets are available from £18 (£14 concession), with day tickets from £8 (£6 concession). Additional charges apply for chef demonstration and Speakers' Corner events, with tickets ranging from £5-25, with an option to pay what you can for selected events.
The festival takes place on Stranraer's harbourside, just a stone's throw from the native oyster beds that inspired it all. The event is family-friendly and dog-friendly and it features extensive programming for children alongside the headline culinary events.
More information and tickets are available from https://stranraeroysterfestival.com
ENDS
Contact details: For PR enquiries contact Lorna Young on lorna@indigowords.co.uk or call 07872 492 283
Cat Thomson 07771 364 522 or email: catthomsonwrites@gmail.com
Interviews may be available on request
Notes to Editors:
- Stranraer Oyster Festival celebrates Scotland's last remaining wild, native oyster fishery
- The UK's native oyster season runs from 1st September to end of April
- Loch Ryan oysters have been protected by Royal Charter since 1701
- The 2024 festival attracted 24,000 visitors and generated £2.5 million economic impact
Programme Highlights
Matt Tebbutt
Matt Tebbutt will be racing to the scenic shores of Loch Ryan from the BBC's Saturday Kitchen studio to make his festival debut. He will take part in several events during the weekend, including leading the new Sunday Oyster Kitchen experience, a Saturday evening joint event with Tony Singh, and he’ll be sharing a beer and a conversation with the festival audience in the new Speakers’ Corner venue.
Rosemary Shrager
One of Britain's most beloved TV chefs, Rosemary Shrager, is bringing cooking demos, conversations, afternoon tea and lots of laughter to Stranraer Oyster Festival. Her warmth and expertise have made her a household name through shows like The Real Marigold Hotel and I’m a Celebrity. At this year’s festival, she will share stories from her remarkable career as well as her passion for cookery.
Tony Singh & Julie Lin Return
Two firm festival favourites, Tony Singh, the festival's Chef Ambassador, returns for his fifth appearance, while Julie Lin is returning for a third time. Both are taking part in their own 'Audience With...' events, as well as their solo cookery demos. Julie is also taking part in an event in Speakers' Corner, where she'll talk about her fantastic new book 'Sama Sama'.
Scottish Shucking Championships
The ‘Shuck Off’ returns to Stranraer Oyster Festival, pitting chefs, oyster growers, producers, fishermen and industry professionals against each other in a bid to claim the title of Scottish Oyster Shucking Champion! The winner will go on to represent Scotland at the World Oyster Opening Championships in Galway, Ireland. The Championship takes place from 12.30pm-2pm on Saturday 13th September, compèred by Chef Andy Cummings.
Oyster Encounters
The nature-based elements of the festival programme are still being finalised, but there will be lots of opportunities to get to know the ecological stars of the festival - Loch Ryan's native oysters. There will be a take-over of the Speakers' Corner marquee by SCAMP (Solway Coast and Marine Project) and the festival will be welcoming some of the marine biologists who are involved in monitoring and researching Loch Ryan’s native oyster bed.
Community Events & Experiences
Stranraer is an inspiring example of community-led regeneration, so there's a bumper line up of events and experiences that showcase the people and the stories of the town, including a community gardening session
