Renowned MasterChef champion to headline Delapré Food Festival this weekend in Northampton

Dan Merriman saw off 31 other hopefuls and triumphed in a tense final to take the coveted trophy on MasterChef: The Professionals 2024.

Lauded as one of the best young chefs in the UK, Dan will be making a kimchi-glazed, hand-dived scallop with XO seafood sauce, barbecue fermented green cabbage and shiitake dashi.

Festival organiser Crispin Slee said: “We’re thrilled to have Dan at the show. The MasterChef audience loved him and he wowed the judges with his stand out cooking.”

The long-awaited Delapré Food Festival is being hosted this Saturday and Sunday (June 7 and 8) at Delapré Abbey – and the organisers have promised to bring it to life for a grand summer weekend celebrating food and drink.

There will be more than 60 food and drink stalls, along with outdoor bars, a street food market curated by Bite Street NN, live music, wine and gin tasting sessions, cheese masterclasses, and cocktail making classes.

New for 2025, there will be a free family circus with entertainment for children big and small and a live fire cooking school hosted by James Peck, founder of the award-winning Restaurant Ember.

Delapré Food Festival is promised to be a “fab day out for foodies and families alike” and tickets include admission to the house. Guided tours will take place twice a day or visitors can explore at their own leisure.

This year’s festival has been sponsored by the Bell Plantation Garden Centre in Towcester, which organisers say has allowed them to make it “bigger and better than ever”.

For more information and to secure your tickets ahead of this weekend’s event, visit Delapré Food Festival’s website here.