ENTER NOW – The Big Careys Cook Off at Lymington Seafood Festival – 11th July

Could you be the next Big Careys Cook Off Champion?

We’re delighted to once again partner with the Lymington Seafood Festival in the search for the New Forest’s most talented amateur chef. This is your opportunity to step into the spotlight, showcase your culinary creativity, and compete for the title in a celebration of local produce, flavour, and inspired cooking.

Love to cook? Passionate about local flavours? Then it’s time to put your skills to the test in the 2026 Big Careys Cook-Off.

In partnership with the Lymington Seafood Festival, we’re inviting enthusiastic home cooks to step into the spotlight and create a dish that celebrates the vibrant flavours of the New Forest—from land or sea. Whether you’re all about precision and technique or prefer bold, imaginative flair, this is your chance to showcase the very best of local, seasonal produce.

The winner will be crowned the Big Careys Cook Off Champion and take home a prize bundle worth over £850 – along with serious local bragging rights!

How to enter:

• Send in a picture of your best culinary creation along with your name and a few words on what makes it special.
• The team of judges will then select 8 winners to attend the festival Saturday 11th July, to compete at the ‘Grand Final’. You’ll choose from a larder full of local produce from land and sea.
• Entries open from Wednesday 6th May and closes on Sunday 24th May at midnight.

Prizes worth OVER £850:

• Overnight Stay at Careys Manor & SenSpa in an Oakwood Bedroom 
• Dinner for two at Cambium
• Three-piece Flint & Flame Pro Series Chef’s Knife Set
• A bottle of Hattingley Valley Classic Cuvee
• The Careys Cook Off Trophy

The Judges

• Dylan James, Head Chef at Cambium
• Chris Bavin, TV Foodie & Festival Host
• Jen Williams, Naked Jam

ENTER NOW

Terms & conditions:

• This photo competition (the “Competition”) is run by Lymington Seafood Festival (Lighthouse Marketing Ltd)
• To enter the Competition the entrant must send their photo submissions to richard@lighthouse-marketing.co.uk
• By submitting an entry, you are giving your permission for Lymington Seafood Festival to publish the image on our website, social media channels and agree to submitting your email address to Lymington Seafood Festival.
• Entrants must be aged 18 years and over and a resident of the UK
• Maximum of two entries per person.
• No purchase of festival tickets necessary.
• THE PRIZE; The winning chef will scoop the first ever Big Careys Cook Off trophy, an overnight stay at Careys Manor for two people in an Oakwood Garden room, dinner for two at Cambium restaurant, a bottle of Hattingley Valley Classic Cuvee and a three-piece Flint & Flame Pro Series Chef’s knife.
• The prize must be claimed entirely and there is no cash alternative.
• The overnight stay at Careys Manor and dinner at Cambium excludes bank or public holidays and must be taken by 31st Dec 2026.
• The Competition is not open to employees or employee’s family of Careys Manor or Lymington Seafood Festival.
• Careys Manor will choose eight winning entries from all the valid Competition entries received in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
• You own the copyright to your Competition entry as its author.
• But your entry must be your own work, must not be copied, must not contain any third-party materials and/or content that you do not have permission to use.
• Entries must not include any trademarks or show inappropriate behaviour including obscene, defamatory, distasteful, offensive, or in breach of any applicable law or regulation.
• If we have reason to believe your entry is not your own work or otherwise breaches these Terms and Conditions, then we have the right disqualify it.
• Entries open from Wednesday 6th May at 2pm and closes on Sunday 24th May at midnight.