Date - Sunday, 6th June 2027.
Time - 10 am onwards.
Class - Live-Fire Masterclass
Equipment - Kadai & Somerset Grills
All drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) will be free during the event.
Adam Purnell, widely known as the Shropshire Lad, is an award-winning British live-fire chef, outdoor cooking specialist, and media personality
Adam Purnell is ‘what it says on the tin’ or the firepit. “A lad from Shropshire with a passion for cooking and fishing.”
His food journey started at a young age, always keen to help in the family kitchen and learning from his father – “a great cook.”
Adam went on to teach food at a secondary school, but then was drawn to youth work, qualifying in 2012. While now a full-time cook, sitting at the top table of UK live-fire chefs, his work with young people has clearly informed his character and his cuisine.
You can imagine Adam’s easy manner round the fire – be it roasting a whole Dexter cow in 24 hours, creating his beloved Black Country pork scratchings, or kicking back with his own smoky spiced rum – drawing conversation from the most withdrawn teenager, proof positive of the mental health benefits of outdoor cooking.
“Working at youth clubs, with kids who may have been kicked out of school, or involved in drugs and gangs, it can be very difficult to convince them to try some activities or listen to advice, but they are invariably hungry. So food became a constant, and I could get them involved in the cooking,” says Adam.
“When cooking, the kids naturally start talking and opening up, often without realising it, while taking an interest in the food and bringing their own ingredients along to cook. It is such a natural way to engage with people. Some of them still message me for tips.”
Adam started producing YouTube videos, and now his reels are must-watch on Instagram (@shropshire.lad) for sources, and indeed marinades, of inspiration, education, and entertainment.
“I have learnt as I go along, and there is nothing better than cooking outdoors over fire, understanding and interpreting flavours, trying different combinations. There is nothing you cannot cook over fire, but always remember the fire is an ingredient in itself.”
During lockdown, Adam ran weekly live YouTube cook-along classes, with ingredients delivered to people’s doors every Friday morning. One of his students was 15-year-old Aston Prideaux, who is now such an accomplished live-fire cook himself that he does demonstrations at food festivals, such as Pub in the Park and Smoke & Fire.
Adam is in demand at many events, combining great food with great theatre. Still a young pitmaster he is inspiring ‘apprentices’ wherever and whatever he cooks. And away from his own backyard or a festival firepit, he is never happier than when out fishing, cooking what he catches. If you catch what he cooks, you’re in for a treat.
He runs Embers Café (opened in May 2023 in the woods of Coalbrookdale, Shropshire), which is famous for outdoor-cooked, wood-fired Sunday roasts and locally sourced menus. He also operates Emburgers and a coffee/bakery shop called Baked Bean.