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Second Bite Festival, which took place at Wylam Brewery, Newcastle, on Sunday 06^th July 2025, has been a massive success, raising £116,462,06 for Cancer Research UK.

The event, originally the brainchild of Sian Byerley, co-owner of Restaurant Pine, Northumberland, saw a stellar lineup of twenty chefs from some of the UK’s leading restaurants cook at the pop-up foodie event.

On the day, each chef and their teams served up 500 portions of their refined street food creations to eagerly waiting foodies who had previously purchased their online tokens to be able to secure dishes from their chosen food heroes.

The free-to-attend event saw thousands gather on the day to help raise much-needed cash to help Cancer Research UK support researchers, clinicians and nurses who carry out vital work linked to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.

The vibrant atmosphere saw revellers tuck into their chosen foodie treats and sample the drinks offerings from Wylam Brewery and the Northumberland Coffee Co.

Online bidders got stuck into securing their chosen lots from an array of food and overnight experiences in the silent auction. All were kindly provided by supportive restaurateurs and hospitality businesses from across the region and further afield, including Simon Rogan, who generously donated a full Day at Our Farm Experience for two people, at his farm in the Lake District, Rockcliffe Hall who generously donated an overnight stay for two with dinner, The Glenturret Lalique, who donated a gastronomic overnight dining experience in their two Michelin starred restaurant, including wine flights and a distillery tour for two people, Da Terra, London who donated a tasting menu experience for two people at their two Michelin starred restaurant, and Alchemilla, Nottingham, who donated a tasting menu experience for two at their Michelin starred restaurant.

The specially created dishes included:

• Braised Lamb Shoulder, Garlic Flatbread, Smoked Aubergine, Saron Yoghurt & Zeresk – Samira Effa,
• Desperate Dan’s Cow Pie by Tom Shepherd,
• Smoked Oldstead Hot Dogs with Lard Fried Onions, Rhuboshi Hot Sauce & Nasturtium Mustard – Will Lockwood

• King Edward Potato, Wild Garlic & Cucumber – Ian Waller,
• Haggis Stuffed Chicken Thigh, Tattie Waffle & Glenturret Peppercorn Sauce – Mark Donald,
• Roasted St Brides Chicken, Lemon & Verbena Berry Broth with Summer Veg – Pam Brunton,
• Sticky Toffee Madeleines with Rum & Toffee & Chantilly – Ryan Blackburn,
• Salt Cod Croquette, Nahm Jim Yoghurt, Fermented Red Pepper & Coriander – Kenny Atkinson,
• Fig Leaf Cream with Annabel’s Strawberries, Roasted Kelp Powder & Puffed Barley – Josh Overington,
• Buttermilk, Mango, Passionfruit & Kafir Lime Soft Serve – Gareth Ward,
• Chicken Kulcha (Grilled Stuffed bread) – Chet Sharma,
• Pine & Apple Cheesecake with Brown Butter – Cal Byerley,

• Potato Rosti, Tete de Cochon, Brown Sauce & Pickled Onion Salad – Stuart Ralston,
• French Toast with Blueberry Compote, Crème Crue & Crispy Maple Syrup Bacon – Josh Angus,
• Shio Koji Brined Chicken Thigh, Lobster Hot Oil, Grilled Onion Yoghurt & Wild Lime – Alex Bond,
• Lavington Lamb Belly, BBQ Jersey Royal Potatoes, Wild Garlic & Cheese Sauce – David Taylor,
• Poached Lindisfarne Oyster with Strawberry Hot Sauce – Alex Nietsvuori,
• Shellfish Roll with Scallops, Langoustines & Lobster Mayo with Guanciale – Paul Leonard,
• Duck Wrap with Sunflower Seed Satay Sauce, Crispy Duck, Cucumber & Spring Onion – Johnnie Crowe,
• BBQ Chicken Sausage, White Bean Feijoada & Farofa – Rafael Cagali.

Siân Byerley, co-owner of Restaurant Pine, said: ‘’We want to thank everyone who has been involved this year. Everyone’s generosity and the hard work of absolutely everyone who has been involved have made it totally amazing. We’d hope that we might be able to raise £100,000, but to go beyond that and raise over £116,000 is brilliant.’’

I’d personally like to say a huge thank you to the 20 chefs and their kitchen teams who have all volunteered their time for this amazing cause, as well as the amazing folks at Wylam Brewery for providing the venue and the amazing volunteers who helped the event run so smoothly. Our amazing suppliers like Wellocks, 7Fifty, R&J Finest, Sous Vide Tools, VMS Vehicle Hire, Keltic Seafare, Crosbys, Beyond 89, Oliver Harvey, Hodgson Fish, The Estate Dairy, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Cookhouse, Ouseburn, and many more, who have been massively generous providing support for the event itself. I’d also like to say a big thank you to all those businesses that have very kindly donated auction prizes to help raise even more funds for Cancer Research UK.”

Why is fundraising for Cancer Research UK so important?

Every year, thousands of adults and children are diagnosed with cancer, and many of us know someone who the illness has impacted. This is why we must do everything we can to increase funding to combat cancer. Funding ultimately helps charities like Cancer Research UK deliver better treatments and outcomes for people who are living with cancer. It also helps people plan whilst they’re still able to make important decisions about their future care and support needs. As well as helping individuals and their families prepare through the provision of practical advice and support, especially as they face new challenges cancer inevitably brings.

For more information about future events, please visit: https://www.secondbitefestival.com/ and don’t forget to keep an eye on the official Instagram page @secondbite_fest too.