Nadiya Hussain, Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry are the star TV chefs lined up to share their culinary expertise at this year’s Chatsworth Country Fair (31 August-2 September).

Along with an exciting mix of young and established chefs from Derbyshire, Sheffield and Yorkshire showcasing their expertise across the three days, the trio will be a huge draw for the thousands of visitors who flock each year to what is one of England’s most spectacular annual outdoor events.

Nadiya Hussain kicks things off on Friday (31 August) with three demos followed by a book signing. Born in Luton to a Bangladeshi family, Nadiya has been baking for just over 10 years and now lives in Milton Keynes with her husband and their three children. With desserts not a common feature in Bangladeshi cuisine, it was up to a home economics teacher to encourage Nadiya to develop her skills as a baker. Now as an established TV presenter and author and with her latest book and series, Nadiya’s Family Favourites out now it will be a treat to welcome her to Chatsworth Country Fair for the very first time.

One of the country’s best loved cookery writers and television presenters, Mary Berry takes centre stage on Saturday (1 September) for her sixth return visit with two demos and book signings. It will be a full house in the theatre as she shares her cookery secrets during her morning and afternoon slots.  A Chatsworth Country Fair regular, Mary has also kindly agreed to be the President this year following in the footsteps of other notable names including Countryfile’s Adam Henson; Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill; Gardener Alan Titchmarsh and last year’s ex boyband star turned farmer JB Gill.

Mary Berry said:-

“I am delighted to return to the wonderful Chatsworth Country Fair. It is an amazing day out for all the family in a magnificent setting. There are a miscellany of spectacular events and demonstrations, brilliant trade stands and plenty of activities and experiences for the young. Get there early to enjoy a full day!”

Fair organiser Sarah Green said:-

“We’re so delighted Mary has agreed to be our President this year. She has been a fantastic supporter for many years now and has certainly been taken to the hearts of the visitors who pack out the theatre to see her deliver her pearls of culinary wisdom every time.”

Closing out proceedings on Sunday (2 September) will be Paul Hollywood.  With his cheeky line in patter, Paul will be sure to both inform and entertain on what will be his third return visit to the fair. The son of a baker, Paul Hollywood originally trained as a sculptor before his father persuaded him to join the family business. He has gone on to become​ one of the country’s finest and well-known artisan bakers.

Once again, the pick of the region’s talented chefs have been invited to take part in the line-up which runs from 9.30am to 5.30pm each day in the Stoves Cookery Theatre equipped with TV screens, PA and seating.

The tasty lineup includes local lad and Rowley’s head chef Adam Harper from Baslow; Tim Sidaway, a chef who has spent over a decade promoting, growing and rearing local food, with restaurants Terroir Bistro in Derby and The Fishermans Rest in Belper; Eva Humphries, aka the Wholefood Warrior, a nutritionist and supporter of fad-free food based in Nottingham; Yorkshire’s Bolton Abbey Estate Burlington Restaurant chef Paul Leonard; Lee Mangles from Sheffield ably compered by former Silversmiths restaurant owner Justin Rowntree.

Two of the chefs may well also be familiar to Sheffield residents. Yorkshire born Natasha Farrell has drawn on her Caribbean roots to run street food outfits around the world and is now setting up a new venue in Sheffield that will showcase her contemporary West Indian cuisine.

Chef Chris Hanson has always had a passion to help disadvantaged communities in Sheffield and has now opened Blend Kitchen, a social enterprise in the city centre with a vision to use cuisine and hospitality to enhance people’s lives. At Chatsworth, he will be showcasing vegan dishes reflective of Blend’s cultural diversity.

The Fine Food Village will be bigger and better than ever this year in its new location in front of the fully restored Chatsworth House. Packed with more than 100 stalls bursting with food to enjoy on the day as well as produce to take home, it is once again a foodie’s paradise.

Highlights announced for this year for the fair include JCB’s Dancing Diggers; The Household Cavalry Musical Ride plus aerobatic entertainment; hot air balloon lifts; have-a-go country sports and crafts plus lots more to see and do around the beautiful parkland located on the banks of the river Derwent.

There is plenty to appeal to children of all ages, from joining the Children’s March Past or the family fun dog show, to wearing them out with the zip wire, bungee trampoline, climbing wall, bumper cars, vintage fairground and the chance to get up close to exotic animals.

There are a number of accessible toilets around the showground as well as an attended Mobiloo, and a limited number of blue badge car parking spaces at the front of each car park.

Vanishing Point Records and Urban Flamingo have joined forces, alongside other retailers in The Yards Chesterfield, to organise Yards Fest 2018 which will take place from the 27th – 29th July.

The free festival, which aims to promote this area of the town, will see many of the independent businesses put on special events and activities alongside live music, DJ performances, childrens games, craft stalls and more. There will also be a BBQ courtesy of Soulville Steakhouse and Hot Roast Cobs from Number 10 Café.

Corey Lavender, Owner of Vanishing Point Records and event organiser, said:-

“The main aim is to promote the area so the public use it more, as I frequently get told that they didn’t know ‘The Yards’ existed. It’s a shame because it is full of independent businesses and fully occupied, it should be a part of town to be proud of.

“We’re excited for Yards Fest 2018 with lots of exciting activities planned and more to be announced soon that we hope will drag people down into our corner of Chesterfield.”

Located in the heart of the town centre the Yards is full of independent shops, cafes and restaurants. From clothes to gifts and from cake making to cake eating, there are plenty of reasons to visit this special part of Chesterfield.

The Yards in Chesterfield’s town centre is also home to a falcon and a puppy, installed as part of the Chesterfield Cultural Renaissance project.

Art Out Loud at Chatsworth, the only UK weekend festival of public talks about art, announces its full programme for 2018, with tickets now on sale for the event which takes place from the 21-23 September.

As Chatsworth celebrates the completion of its biggest restoration and conservation project in 200 years, architecture and design feature in many of this year’s talks at the Art out Loud Festival.

Headline speakers include collage artist, punk icon and Chatsworth’s first artist-inresidence, Linder Sterling and 2017 Turner Prize-winner, Lubaina Himid, who are joined by art historian Dan Cruickshank and architect John Pawson.

Focus on Art 

Art Out Loud at Chatsworth is excited to present Lubaina Himid, who made history in 2017 as the first black woman – and the oldest artist – to win the Turner Prize. Her multidisciplinary practice exposes the politics of race and gender through wide-ranging visual mediums using found ceramics, painting and large-scale cutouts. At the festival, she will be in conversation with Dr Zoe Whitley, curator of International Art at the Tate Modern, exploring art as activism, political acts of curating and the sheer joy of art making.

Chatsworth’s first ever artist-in-residence, Linder Sterling will be joined by Lord Burlington to discuss her Chatsworth exhibition, Her Grace Land, and its unparalleled poly-sensory approach to the past, present and future.

Leading British artist Idris Khan will speak about the minimal, yet emotionally charged photographs, videos and sculptures that make up his practice, exploring the influences and creative process behind his work.

David Dawson was Lucian Freud’s model, devoted assistant, adviser and friend – and featured in seven of Freud’s paintings. He will be joined by Martin Gayford (subject of Freud’s portrait Man with a Blue Scarf) for a unique insight and examination into the life and work of Lucian Freud, and the complex relationship between artist, sitter and portrait.

In conversation with New York-based sculptor Ursula von Rydingsvard, Executive Director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park Peter Murray will talk about the evolution of YSP and Ursula’s progress from minimalism to the creation of monumental works for open air.

A lively discussion and some real-life sketching is on the cards as political cartoonist Peter Brookes joins writer Ann Treneman to talk about his fascinating work and cartooning of recent political earthquakes for The Times.

The new Director of the Royal Collection, Tim Knox will shed light on his role as the keeper of The Queen’s private collection. World-renowned collector and founder of the new cultural hub Kanaal, Antwerp, Axel Vervoordt, will explain his philosophy on art and how it has inspired his diverse collection.

Felicity Aylieff and Natasha Daintry will discuss their practices as ceramicists. The very different – but equally extraordinary – results of their efforts are exemplified in pieces now part of the Chatsworth Collection and on display in the house: Chinese Ladders by Felicity Aylieff (Great Stairs Landing) and Sowing Colour by Natasha Daintry (the Dome Room)

Focus on Architecture and Design

In a year that has seen Chatsworth restored to its full glory following a 10-year renovation programme, an appreciation of architecture and design is woven through the 2018 festival.

On Saturday, in their talk Living with the Builders, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire will be joined by the specialist conservation architect who directed the works, Peter Inskip. This will be a rare opportunity to hear a discussion on their initial ambitions, reflections and what it was like to be ‘living with the builders’ – on a grand scale. They will be in conversation with Anna Farthing, curator of the current exhibition Chatsworth Renewed: the house past, present and future, which celebrates the skill and commitment of those involved in this decade of works. The exhibition continues in Chatsworth House during Art Out Loud.

John Pawson, the British architect famous for his minimalist aesthetic, will reflect on a body of work which spans a broad range of scales and typologies, explaining how, whether he is designing a bench or taking a photograph, ‘it’s all architecture’.

In a talk curated by the Royal Institute of British Architects, Alex de Rijke founding architect of dRMM, whose design for Hastings Pier won the 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize and Herefordshire-based architect Kate Darby will be discussing their practices with Marie Bak Mortensen.

After her 2016 appearance at the festival, Amanda Levete, founder of AL_A and one of the UK’s leading female architects, returns to talk about the dialogue between history and modernity in her work on two very different museums, the V&A in London and the Museum of Art, Architecture & Technology – MAAT – in Lisbon.

Two talks take a more historical view of architecture, as author Kate Hubbard and artist Ed Kluz look back to 16th century Derbyshire with Bess of Hardwick and her houses, and developer Trevor Osborne and James Berresford, Chairman of the Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust, discuss the history the Buxton Crescent, as well as plans for its future.

Seats can be booked online for the complimentary Buxton Crescent talk. Design critic Alice Rawsthorn will speak about her book Design as an Attitude, exploring how a new generation of designers and architects are using design to pursue their
humanitarian, political and ecological objectives.

Art historian Dan Cruickshank will talk about his recent journey through Syria and the BBC TV documentary he made on its architecture, history, national pride and identity. At Art Out Loud, he looks at IS’s cultural terrorism, examines the monuments damaged, and ponders the challenges – artistic, technical, ethical – of repair, reconstruction and engineering during the 1890s.

Focus on Education and Family Events

Education is always at the core of what Art Out Loud offers. This year, as part of the Devonshire Educational Trust programme, a number of spaces will be reserved for local schools, colleges and universities in five talks on Friday. These include a presentation of short talks about architecture by students from schools across the country who have
participated in the ARTiculation programme.

For families, sisters Jacky Klein and Suzy Klein present an interactive talk, named after their book What is Contemporary Art? A Guide for Children, exploring the wonderful world of contemporary art for younger festival attendees. They invite children and families to respond to, question, and enjoy some of the most exciting art of our time.

Focus on Gardens

With its setting in the enchanting grounds of Chatsworth, thoughts of gardens are never far from Art Out Loud. This year, gardening writer Anna Pavord discusses the art of ‘marshalling nature’ and ‘getting her hands dirty’, while landscape architect Todd Longstaffe-Gowan talks about the challenges and rewards of gardening in the tropics.

Art Out Loud takes place in the magical setting of Chatsworth’s South Lawn. All ticket holders also enjoy access to the Chatsworth Garden. Ticket holders can optionally upgrade their ticket to gain access to Chatsworth House and Chatsworth Renewed: the house past, present and future, a special exhibition revealing the story of the Chatsworth renovation,
which runs until 21 October 2018.

Sculpture from Chatsworth will for the first time be centre-stage for the autumn exhibition in the garden. Visitors to Art Out Loud will have the chance to focus on the presence of sculpture within the wider Chatsworth landscape. By encouraging the discovery of new viewpoints across the landscape, this year Chatsworth will draw attention to the historic eyecatchers and fountains, as well as new developments, recent sculpture and planting in the garden.

All festival tickets and festival day tickets include entry to the garden from 10am – 6pm and free car parking. Tickets can be upgraded to include entry to the house at a reduced price (open from 11am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm).