Ed Hughes is a leading accredited Beer Sommelier and is responsible for the Mariners collaboration with Paul Ainsworth and Sharp’s Brewery. Ed had regularly featured on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen and in 2018 co-authored Sharp’s first cook book Brimming with more than 60 recipes inspired by the Cornish coast. ‘Just Add Beer’ profiles some of the UK’s top chefs – from award-winning street food chefs to those with Michelin stars to their names. Ed grew up in Rock, North Cornwall, but his passion for beer began while managing bars in Nottingham including the infamous Brass Monkey at the age of 19. A trip to Belgium around this time inspired and educated Ed, not just in the quality and variations of flavour of beer but the pride the Belgians had in beer and beer service, a similar respect that French have with wine. Today Ed provides expert beer tastings both at the brewery and with key customers, as well as in the renowned Sharp’s Secret Bar and Silent Bistro. Ed regularly performs demonstrations on beer and on beer and food matching to audiences at events around the country. Having worked with top chefs such as Paul Ainsworth, Nathan Outlaw, Jude Kereama and Tom Brown, Ed has developed an in-depth knowledge of pairing beer and food and regularly provides interviews for media on this subject. Another string to Ed’s bow is judging beer industry competitions, for example the SIBA, World Beer Awards and the European Beer Star in Munich.
