South Devon Crab …cracks national tourism campaign

South Devon crab will be the focus for a major new national food tourism campaign which is being launched by the Visit South Devon tourism partnership and the celebrity seafood chef and award-winning restaurateur Mitch Tonks. (9 June*). The “ Have a cracking time in South Devon” campaign will encourage visitors from across the UK to come to South Devon to enjoy one of most delicious yet undervalued great natural local resources, South Devon crab. Two thousand tonnes of crab are landed in the South Devon Bay area every year yet more than sixty percent of the crab is exported to France and Spain. South Devon crab is believed to be the best in the world and its stocks are plentiful and sustainably fished. Mitch Tonks will be launching the “Have a cracking time in South Devon” campaign on 9 June from his renowned seafood restaurant The Seahorse in Dartmouth. Mitch believes that South Devon crab is unique and that it will be a great hit with visitors to the area: “South Devon crab is without doubt the finest in the world- an unsung hero and a joy to eat. If I could get everyone that comes to South Devon to share the experience of eating freshly boiled crabmeat with mayonnaise I know they would absolutely love it and that would be my job done!” Renowned Teignmouth- based Chef Tim Bouget who runs the Ode restaurant in Shaldon is also backing the campaign to promote South Devon crab: www.odetruefood.co.uk . Brown crabs and spider crabs are fished in pots in South Devon but the majority that are landed are brown crab. This season starts in May and brown crabs are at their best during the autumn months when they are at their biggest. The Visit South Devon tourism partnership will be promoting South Devon crab at a number of events across the summer and whole day of crab workshops and events will be given over to South Devon crab at the Dartmouth Food Festival from 20 – 24 October. A crab logo will be used by local businesses supporting the campaign and the Visit South Devon website will have a South Devon crab link, detailing all you need to know about crab including recipes from top Devon chefs, www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk/crab. The Marketing Manager for Visit South Devon Sarah Streeter says that the local community is really behind the new campaign: “We have had so much support from local businesses who want to get involved in promoting the area and our wonderful South Devon crab. Who could resist enjoying crab at one of our fantastic restaurants and cafes in one of the most beautiful locations in the UK? This will have wide appeal from dedicated foodies to families and the campaign will help to raise the profile of the area nationally.” Note to editors * South Devon crab launch 9 June, 11.00am (harbour side) outside the Seahorse Restaurant Dartmouth, South Devon. Weather permitting crab fisherman Nick Hutchings of Britannia Shellfish will be leading a party of journalists on his boat The Britannia of Beesands to view the crab pots by kind permission of Channel Fisheries. Following the boat trip Mitch Tonks will launch the campaign at the Seahorse restaurant in Dartmouth. Dawn Spencer of the crab processors Blue Sea Co will give a demonstration of crab picking and preparation. Please contact Sarah Streeter at Visit South Devon: E/: sarah @visitsouthdevon.co.uk before 8 June if you wish to attend the launch as numbers on the boat may be limited. For more information about Visit South Devon visit: www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk/crab and for more information about Mitch Tonks please visit: www.mitchtonks.co.uk. About Visit South Devon Visit South Devon is the area tourism partnership responsible for promoting South Devon to national and regional audiences. The main aim of the company is to increase the number of visitors to South Devon for the benefit of the local tourism economy. Visit South Devon works with Visit Devon the Destination Management Organization for Devon. www.visitdevon.co.uk Visit South Devon is a Community Interest Company existing solely for the benefit of the local tourism community. It is a public-private company limited by guarantee and not for profit – ensuring all revenue is put back into marketing initiatives for the area. The company operates a membership scheme for local tourism businesses who want to gain national exposure. Visit South Devon is funded through membership and South Hams and Teignbridge District Councils but aims to be fully self financing within 5 years.

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