By Stuart Gillespie

Copyright dailyrecord

This weekend’s Stranraer Oyster Festival is set to be the biggest ever. Organisers are reporting record ticket sales for the three day extravaganza, which gets under way on Friday. And adding to the excitement is the news that festival headline chef Matt Tebbutt has just been announced as the new judge on BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals. The popular presenter will be hotfooting it to Stranraer from the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen studio and is taking part in cookery demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday. Chair of organisers Stranraer Development Trust, Romano Petrucci, said: “Having Matt join us at such an exciting moment in his career feels like perfect timing. “It’s fantastic that our oyster festival is giving visitors to Stranraer the opportunity to see him cook, interact with audiences and chat about his career so soon after the announcement of his new MasterChef role.” Several of the celebrity chef events are already sold out, with the festival on track to exceed last year’s event when more than 20,000 visitors attended. Joining Matt will be the oyster festival’s Chef Ambassador Tony Singh, TV favourite Rosemary Shrager, Malaysian Scottish chef and broadcaster Julie Lin, Bake Off’s Dr James Morton and local favourites Ryan McCutcheon, David Alexander and the Lisi Brothers. The festival, which runs from Friday until Sunday, also includes live music, family entertainment, the Scottish Oyster Shucking Championships and the event’s new marine science programme. Click here for more news and sport from Dumfries and Galloway. Stranraer Oyster Festival is sponsored by Lactalis UK & Ireland, alongside Rock Island whisky from Douglas Laing, Stranraer Skills Station and Loch Ryan Oyster Fishery Company. It is also supported by the council’s Signature Events programme and the Coastal Benefit Fund, and the work of Stranraer Development Trust is also supported by South of Scotland Enterprise and The Holywood Trust. For more information and tickets visit the festival website.