Who's Who
Nick Robinson
The Oast Smokehouse
Nick Robinson is a keen forager and cook.
Nick’s fascination for food stems from his childhood. His mother had attended the Cordon Bleu School in Paris and was a great cook, making her own yoghurt, granola and bread. The family also grew their own vegetables and kept chickens, making them practically self-sufficient.
Having recently moved to the Kent coast after a successful publishing career, Nick is now enjoying foraging in the local area, not just for mushrooms, but wild asparagus, sea beet, wild garlic, seaweed and wild oysters.
Nick shares his knowledge and passion for food via his foraging tours and artisan smoked products at “The Oast Smokehouse”.
For more information on Nick please visit www.theoastsmokehouse.com
Bruce Stratford
Nomada
Inspired by his father, a Head Chef, Bruce has been working in kitchens from the age of 15. He quickly worked his way up the ranks and by the age of 23 became Head Chef at the now prestigious Fordwich Arms, Canterbury.
After moving to Ramsgate, he became Sous Chef at Wyatt and Jones, Broadstairs and assisted with the start-up of The Empire Room.
As Head Chef at the Hop and Huffkin, Sandwich, he led his team to the finalists in Best Kent Pub and Bistro at the Taste of Kent awards.
Always keen to expand his knowledge he worked at Harbour Street Tapas and Bottega Caruso in Margate before taking on the Head Chef role at Frog and Scot in Deal where his culinary skills were recognised by the Michelin, Good Food and Hardens guides.
During the recent lockdowns, Bruce became freelance setting up Nomada and Working at Eats and Beats Café.
He is now Head Chef at the recently opened Union Café, Queen Street Ramsgate.
For more about Bruce and Nomada please visit www.instagram.com/nomada_ramsgate
Adrian Mowl
Royal Harbour Brasserie
Adrian is a Dorchester Hotel trained chef who loves to serve a range of locally sourced fish dishes at his Ramsgate restaurant, Royal Harbour Brasserie.
No stranger to Royalty, he created a menu for the Gala Dinner for HRH Queen Elizabeth II at the opening of the Turner Contemporary Gallery and was the Executive Chef in the London Olympic Village 2012.
His dishes reflects his passion for seafood, as he cooks the kind of food he loves to eat!
For more about Adrian and his restaurant please visit www.royalharbourbrasserie.co.uk
Jessica Leah
Jessica Leah Catering
I’m Jess, chef and owner of Jessica Leah Catering. I’ve been a professional chef for over 18 years now, working in restaurants for 13 of them, and running my own catering business for the last 5. I’ve been a great lover of all things edible from a very young age.
Always wanting to try new foods, as well as new ways to create something special with the basics. Very excited to be a part of ‘Ramsgate Through the Senses’. There has never been a better time to support our local talent.
For more about Jessica and her work please visit
Kent Wildlife Trust
Ham Fen
On this safari you’ll learn about the once native beaver which were reintroduced to the site in 2001 in an effort to restore the waterways of Kent’s last remaining fen. You’ll see evidence of these ‘water engineers’, including distinctive gnawed tree stumps, dams and lodges, and find out about their ability to slow running water and create pools and marshes, and the benefits this has for other wildlife at the reserve. More recently, a herd of water buffalo have been introduced to complement the work of the beavers and other cattle on site. Look out for them wallowing in the waterways and hear about the role they are playing in the rejuvenation of the fen.
Please note, beavers are mostly active between dusk and dawn. This safari will give you the opportunity to find out about their reintroduction at Ham Fen and see the signs of their activity but you are unlikely to see beavers during the tours.
For more information please visit www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk
Melanie King
Artist
Melanie King is a visual artist and practice-based researcher at the Royal College of Art and Lecturer In Photography at Canterbury Christ Church University.
She is interested in the relationship between starlight, photography and materiality.
Melanie aims to demonstrate the intimate connection between celestial objects (sun, moon, stars), photographic material and the natural world.
Melanie works with sustainable photographic processes, to minimise the environmental impact of her artistic practice.
To find out more about Melanie, please visit www.melaniek.co.uk
Photo credit ITV/Theo Deproost
GADDS'
The Ramsgate Brewery
We’re a team of 10, operating a 15 bbrl brewery, a shop, an office and a couple of delivery vans. We produce around 1 million pints of beer a year and deliver to pubs, clubs and restaurants throughout East Kent.
We brew distinctive Kentish beers, using years of knowledge, experience and understanding – we’ve been around long enough to know what we’re doing, and not so long as to be old fashioned.
For more information please visit
Wine Garden of England
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Wine Garden of England is a collaboration of eight Kent vineyards who run tastings and events together to promote tourism to the county.
The next big event is at Balfour Winery on 10th June. Tickets available from
James Frost
Puppet Maker
James Frost is an artist, theatre designer and educator.
He teaches theatre design at Canterbury Christ Church University and makes and performs puppet shows and folk theatre.
He has curated the exhibition ‘Animal Guising and the Kentish Hooden Horse’ at Maidstone Museum, running until 17th June.
https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/whats-on/events/animal-guising-the-kentish-hooden-horse/
Sylvia Tillmann
TRE
Sylvia Tillmann is a Jikiden Reiki practitioner, has a foundation training in counselling (COSCA), facilitates Laughter Yoga sessions and is a certified TRE (Tension Releasing Exercises) Provider.
She truly believes that stress really is the root of almost all evil and much pain is based on too much tension in the body. She loves working with the body and its innate wisdom while giving the constantly busy mind a break.
Sylvia treated her own back and hip pain by practising TRE and is keen to introduce you to this undiscovered gift that's inside you. Her teaching is informative, gentle, empathic and empowering.
Please visit www.tremendousTRE.co.uk for more info.
Clive Barlow MW
Wine Press Services
It was after spending several months working on a Hampshire vineyard that led to Clive’s career in the wine industry. In 1999 Clive became a Master of Wine – one of only 400 in the world.
Clive is owner and proprietor of Wine Press Services located at The Goods Shed and is the Lead Tutor at Canterbury Wine School.
His interest lies in smaller, quality-focussed growers and winemakers who aim to create individual characterful wines that include wines from Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Cornwall as well as further afield.
For more about more about Clive and his wine shop and courses please visit
Music and Meditation
In 2014 stricken with an aggressive stage 4b Lymphoma, suffering kidney failure, cachexia and the realisation he was dying, Pablo ad a profound life changing near death spiritual experience.
Miraculously, aided by the wonders of medical science Pablo made a full recovery and was guided by spirit to re-take up the Flute.
Having always worked behind the scenes in music as a Sound Engineer and Producer for artists including UB40, Toots & The Maytals, Sly & Robbie and Dave Stewart, Pablo Hussey is now taking centre stage with the Xiao, a traditional Chinese front blown bamboo Flute.
A classically trained multi instrumentalist, composer, arranger and conductor well known from playing double bass in The Penguin Cafe and London Elektricity, amongst many others.
Andrew has worked across the spectrum of music from techno to Bollywood, ambient to classical.
Currently running his new venture The Mascot gallery in Ramsgate. A venue for grass roots works to develop and be viewed, working in collaboration with CERN on a solo double bass project and writing music for an audio book.
F: Andy Waterworth @rgm_themascotgallery
New York, London, Ramsgate!
Agent, Consultant, Editor at Large!
From the dizzy heights of the Empire State, to digging my sandy heels in deep to the body of the earth.. Transformation is real!
Covid saw me depart a path well-traveled, having me abruptly exit the world of photography, advertising & fine art as I had known it and found me exploring the life of a teacher! (...upon reflection, all roads have been leading to Ramsgate).
In 2010 tragedy struck, my beautiful Blythe, she died, leaving me heavy, in complete darkness and oh so broken hearted! As life inevitably grows around us and ignoring a decade of self enquiry, personal exploration, metamorphosis and healing, thanks to a global pandemic, I am now officially a 300+hr yoga teacher, year round sea swimmer, cold water therapy advocate, breath work and Reiki practitioner!
Looking back I can see the tectonic plates of existence shifting in ways that only make sense as we evolve. Nothing is ever futile and is always with great precision. No coincidences just universal divinity.
I look forward to sharing with you.
@charlotteellisyoga
Patrick George
Freelance illustrator
Patrick George is a Ramsgate based freelance illustrator and children’s book creator.
As the designer of our logo it has been a pleasure working with him from concept to execution.
To find out more about Patrick, please visit