3rdBite Festival has raised a record £129,713.95 for Cancer Research UK.
The event took place at Wylam Brewery in Newcastle on Sunday 19 July 2026.
Originally the brainchild of Siân Byerley, co-owner of Restaurant Pine in Northumberland, the festival brought together a line-up of 20 chefs from some of the UK’s leading Michelin-starred restaurants.
Since its creation, 3rdBite Festival has now raised just under £330,000 for Cancer Research UK.
On the day, each chef and their team served 500 portions of refined street food creations to guests who had previously purchased online tokens to secure dishes from their chosen chefs.
The free-to-attend event saw thousands gather to help raise funds for Cancer Research UK, supporting researchers, clinicians and nurses working across the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Guests enjoyed food from across the chef line-up, alongside drinks from Wylam Brewery and Northumberland Coffee Co.
The line-up and dishes included Cal Byerley of Pine, serving Alien Egg, and Ian Waller of Pine, serving lion’s mane, oyster mushroom, black garlic and roasted yeast.
Gareth Ward of Ynyshir served A5 Japanese beef katsu curry, rice and BBQ pickled daikon.
Adam Handling MBE of The Frog served Cornish cod, lobster bolognese and wild garlic, alongside a BBQ radish, white beans and whey option.
Paul Burgalieres of L’Enclume served kohlrabi pastrami with spiced buttermilk, Wigmore, lovage and celeriac bun, alongside aromatic herb ice cream with strawberries, bee pollen and buckwheat.
Chet Sharma of Bibi served three cocktail and mocktail options: Kulukki Sharbath, Mango Martini and The Darzee.
James Knappett of Kitchen Table served roasted cauliflower with peanuts, roasted mango, coriander and Kitchen Table curry powder.
Tom Shepherd of Upstairs by Tom Shepherd served Desperate Dan’s Cow Pie, while Josh Angus of HIDE served lobster and scallop kataifi fried dumpling with black pepper oyster sauce.
Mark Donald of The Glenturret served Highland Wagyu cheeseburger spring roll with Big Mark sauce.
Johnnie Crowe of St Barts served miso-marinated octopus kebabs with miso and salted yuzu sabayon.
Jean Delport of Interlude served braaied chicken wing with fermented onion and wild garlic, alongside braaied maitake mushroom with fermented onion and wild garlic.
Lisa Goodwin-Allen of Northcote served corn-fed chicken toast with green chilli and coriander, alongside forest mushroom toast with green chilli and coriander.
David Taylor of Grace & Savour served langoustine with Isle of Wight tomato, organic courgette and lemon chilli butter emulsion, alongside organic BBQ gem lettuce with Isle of Wight tomato, organic courgette and lemon chilli butter emulsion.
Paul Leonard of Forest Side served pot roast Shh’annu lamb, leg merguez, bacon kimchi and yoghurt.
Rafael Cagali of Daterra served fried cassava terrine with beef jus, chimichurri mayo and black truffle.
Jack Bond of The Cottage in the Wood served loaded Herdwick lamb merguez sausage.
Roberta Hall-McCarron of Little Chartroom served crispy pig’s head with baby gem and tomato, alongside maitake, baby gem, tomato, fermented wild garlic and pecorino.
Jake Jones of The Forge at Middleton Lodge served strawberry, Pimm’s, clotted cream and lemon verbena.
Stuart Ralston of Lyla served lobster and prawn katsu sandwich with chippy sauce and Kewpie.
Each chef served their own distinctive take on street food, challenging some of the UK’s most celebrated culinary talent to step outside their usual restaurant setting and showcase their creativity in a relaxed, accessible format.
Tokens for the event sold out ahead of the day, reflecting the growing popularity of the festival.
New for 2026, the 3rdBite team also launched an exclusive VIP package.
Privately seated among the brewery tanks inside Wylam Brewery, tables of ten guests enjoyed drinks service from 11am to 3pm.
The package included a choice of arrival drink, prosecco, beer or the limited-edition From the Pass collaboration beer created with Wylam Brewery.
Guests also had the opportunity to pre-order five street food dishes each from the Michelin-starred line-up, served between 12pm and 1pm.
All proceeds from the VIP experience went to Cancer Research UK.
Alongside the food, local DJs provided entertainment throughout the day, while the festival’s online auction returned with a range of exclusive food and overnight experiences.
Auction lots included a two-night stay at The Grand in York, a gastronomic one-night stay at The Glenturret Lalique, a tasting menu and wine flight experience at Nest, dinner for eight cooked in the winner’s home by this year’s winning Great British Menu chefs, a Reight Signature three-night trip to Paris, and a garden BBQ party with the Pine team.
Siân Byerley, co-owner of Restaurant Pine, said: “Every year the event proves what this industry does best when it comes together.
“Twenty incredible chefs gave up their Sunday to cook for total strangers, all in the name of raising money for a cause that touches every single one of us.
“Seeing thousands of people turn up, eat, laugh and dig deep for Cancer Research UK never gets old.
“This has been our biggest total yet, and it wouldn’t have been possible without everyone who bought a token, bid on the auction, or simply turned up on the day.”
Byerley added: “I’d personally like to say a huge thank you to the amazing team at Wylam Brewery for providing the venue, and to the amazing 3rdBite volunteers who helped the event run so smoothly.
“Our amazing suppliers, like our main sponsor Wellocks and many more, have provided invaluable 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.”