TV CHEF Gino D’Acampo heaped praise onto the new Douglas quayside restaurant 14 North when he appeared at Saturday’s first day of the Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival.

The Italian cooking expert who is one of the most familiar and sought-after chefs on television, was on the Island to join the panel of judges for final of the "I Love Manx Amateur Chef of the Year" contest.

Gino arrived on Friday and chose to try the new 14 North restaurant for dinner with his agent - using the opportunity to try Manx queenies for the first time.

"They were absolutely beautiful," he said, "and the chef at 14 North cooked them to perfection - just for a few minutes, no more than two, and they were really very nice. I had never had them before."

Gino captivated a packed audience in the Food Theatre at the Villa Marina with a cookery demonstration on Saturday morning, making the most of his trademark Italian wit and humour and bringing members of the audience onto the stage to join in the fun.

Later in the day he judged the chef competition, when he used the opportunity to say how much he loved Manx queenies and how much he enjoyed the cooking at 14 North.

"It’s a new restaurant, but I would like to say that the food was good, really good - you must try it", he told the audience.

Gino was served by chef owner Phil Taylor and chose a simple dish of queenies in the half shell with home-made pesto, roasted in a very hot oven for only 90 seconds. Chef Dominic Welsh also cooked lobster for the TV personality - with Gino himself asking the chef to cook the shellfish with capers and lemon butter, keeping the dish as simple as possible.

"He seemed very happy," said Phil Taylor. "We’ve only been open for a month, but we have had a lot of good feedback and we try to keep the dishes simple to make the best of Manx produce, such as the queenies and lobster which came fresh on the day from Croft Seafoods in Port St Mary.

"We’re delighted Gino enjoyed his meal."

Photo: Bill Dale - www.isleofmanphotos.com