THE Queenie Festival takes place in Port St Mary today (Saturday) and tomorrow.
It is being held at Paddy's at the quayside and there will be touch tanks, a seafood barbecue, demonstrations, talks and lectures, a farmers market, stalls, cookery, competitions and giveaways, boat trips and live music.
The event is run in conjunction with Manx Wildlife Trust and is a celebration of the richness and diversity of the surrounding sea and coast of the Isle of Man.
Henrietta Green, Britain's leading authority on regional food producers, will be in attendance at the festival.
The writer and broadcaster is commonly described as Britain's foremost authority on local and regional produce and has been championing the cause of small scale food producers and artisans since the late 1970s.
She will appear both today and tomorrow to give seafood-themed cookery demonstrations and share her insights into Britain's changing food landscape.
Known to many as a judge on the ITV series Taste the Nation, Henrietta has written 13 books, including the best-selling Henrietta Green's Food Lover's Guide to Britain.
Her website, Food Lovers' Britain, is a guide to the best of British produce, also showcased periodically at her Food Lovers' Fairs.
It was through these fairs that Henrietta first became acquainted with Queenie Festival founder Tim Croft as he spread the word about Manx seafood.
To honour the spirit of the Queenie Festival, Henrietta will be cooking up two scallop dishes in the quayside food theatre this weekend.
Her third recipe, for a traditional battered crab dish, comes from the kitchen of the Two Fat Ladies; Henrietta has chosen it in tribute to the occasion when they opened her Borough Market fair in 1998.
Although she has written about Manx producers, It will be Henrietta's first visit to the Isle of Man.
A tour of Peel's kipper factory is among the items on her must-see list, which naturally also includes sampling one or two Manx Queenies!
Admission to the festival is £2 for adults and free for children under 16 and the festival takes place from 11am to 5pm both days.
For full details see queeniefestival.com
