A blind Norfolk man is set to join some of the region’s top chefs when he takes to the stage at the East Anglian Game & Country Fair cookery theatre next week.
Ed Bates, who has been blind since birth, will be making his cookery demonstration debut as he sets out to cook a two-course meal live on stage – showcasing the range of special equipment which allows visually-impaired people to lead independent lives.
Ed, who works for Norfolk’s sight loss charity Vision Norfolk, will be joining food writer Andy Newman on stage at Euston Hall on Saturday 23rd April as part of a programme of demonstrations featuring such kitchen stars as Roger Hickman, Chris Coubrough and Nathan Rackham.
His half-hour demonstration will show that even those with no sight at all can cook delicious meals with the help of a range of clever devices such as talking microwaves, kitchen scales and measuring jugs, and ‘bumpers’ which prevent overfilling saucepans with hot liquids.
“Vision Norfolk is all about helping people living with sight loss live full and independent lives, and we wanted to show that it’s perfectly possible to cook your own food, even on a stage on front of hundreds of people,” said Mr Bates, who is special projects, activities and volunteer engagement co-ordinator at the charity’s Great Yarmouth hub.
“The cookery stage at the Game Fair generally features top chefs from the region, so it is brave of Ed to make his cookery theatre debut in such company,” said Andy Newman, who is hosting the theatre across the two days of the show.
“Usually I am there to watch what is going on and commentate on the chef’s efforts, but I have agreed to don my apron and be Ed’s sous-chef for his demonstration.
“I have known Ed for a long time, and he is a real inspiration who never lets his visual impairment get in the way of living a full life, and I am sure that his demonstration will be in equal parts eye-opening, entertaining and inspirational.”
The East Anglian Game & Country Fair takes place at Euston Hall on Saturday 23rd April and Sunday 24th April. Ed Bates’ demonstration is at 12pm on Saturday in the cookery theatre. More details about the Fair can be found at www.ukgamefair.co.uk.
