England’s Seafood FEAST returns from 29 September to 15 October and is a chance to experience some of the best seafood in the world in venues across the English Riviera, which is known as England’s Seafood Coast.

In the lead-up to England’s Seafood FEAST we will be meeting some of the “Faces of the Feast” to find out what they have in store for they have in store for this year’s event and why this stretch of coast is really worth celebrating.

Today we chat with Simon Hulstone, a chef/proprietor, who runs The Elephant restaurant with his wife Katy. It was the first restaurant in Torquay to be awarded a Michelin star which it has maintained Since 2006.

How important is it for you as a chef that we are celebrating the variety of seafood that is landed locally?

As a chef, it is very important we celebrate the great fish that is landed locally which is also important when it comes to supporting our local economy and eco structure. Hopefully through England’s Seafood FEAST and the great producers involved, we can highlight this to many more customers and show the benefits of using sustainable fish and shellfish caught locally.

You have been involved in the festival since the start, haven't you? 

I have been lucky enough to be involved with the festival every year and each year the festival gets bigger, with the events ever more in demand. It’s great to see it growing and becoming an annual feature in our diaries.

You have a number of events taking place as part of this year's Festival. What can people expect at The Meet the Maker event?

We are working with Frazer, who is our Scallop supplier and all-around good guy. We can’t wait to really show off what he supplies us with…but regular guests already know how great his scallops are! His amazing scallops will be complemented by Flora, a local forager who provides us with interesting produce found within walking distance of our restaurant. She will also talk about the work she does at what is going to be a great event. Find out more about the event here.

Simon at Sea sounds like another unique event. Can you tell us more? 

Simon at Sea will be a great celebration aboard some of Torbay’s most exclusive yachts. It’s a chance to enjoy an up-close, exclusive and personal event, with myself and guests cooking onboard the yachts. It’s definitely an event to boast about.

You are also planning a series of special Seafood Feast lunches. What will they entail?

Our lunches during the event will be solely seafood based and throughout the event we will work with our local suppliers to show off the best produce in season and really shout about what we have in the Bay. Our lunches have always been amazing value, so it’s a perfect chance to dine with us, soak up The Elephant experience and enjoy beautiful seafood. Find out more about these lunches here.

Finally, will you get any chance to enjoy the Seafood feast yourself? 

Hopefully, I will be able to get around and dine with some of the great local chefs involved. Everybody really ups their game during the FEAST, so it will be great to spend some time enjoying it with my wife and family. 

Discover the full England’s Seafood Feast programme of events