The finals of the first ever I Love Manx Chef competition will be judged by the Hairy Bikers at the Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival this Sunday (27th September) at the Villa Marina.
From 2.30pm, the two heat winners, Samantha Honey-Pollock and Lizia Medina Quinn (pictured) will cook under increased pressure in the live final.
The two chefs won their heats with show-stopping dishes: Samantha prepared her namesake dish, Honey Pollock, with a Rose Petal Salad, while Lizia's Northern Brazilian Coxinha with a Spicy Sauce went down a storm.
Their dishes for this weekend are closely guarded secrets, so to find out what they'll be dishing up for the Bikers, you'll have to come down and cheer them on!
When I Love Manx launched the I Love ManxChef competition back in June of this year, the organisers were inundated with creative recipes.
The competition is aimed at all talented cooks who love cooking with Manx produce to show just how versatile and delicious local food can be.
Entries of recipes, using predominantly Manx food, were split into two categories, North and South.
Four entrants from each region went through to regional heats held at the Southern Show on Saturday 25th July, for Southern entrants, and the Royal Manx Show on Saturday 8th August, for Northern entrants.
Each heat included a cook-off against the clock to create and serve dishes within 30 minutes, in front of large audiences at the agricultural shows and under the watchful eye of a panel of local judges.
Kathryn Sentance of Relish Cookery School provided the finalists, at both heats, with cookery equipment, assisted the cooks as they prepared their dishes, and challenged all contestants with an ingredients test using fresh grown herbs provided by local organic supplier, Staarvey Farm.
She will again be on hand at the final to ensure that the final cook-off creates a veritable taste banquet.
Agriculture Minister Phil Gawne MHK said, "I am delighted that this competition has sparked so much interest and the final promises to be very exciting.
"Manx farmers produce a wide variety of quality, fresh foods and I hope that both this competition and the Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival will encourage more people to choose to use it.
"Consumers will discover that our locally produced food tastes wonderful and they can also have the satisfaction of knowing that their purchase supports our farmers and helps to reduce the carbon emissions produced during the import of food from miles away."
Manx National Farmers’ Union President, Howard Quayle, added, “What the I Love Manx Chef competition has truly highlighted, is the versatility of great, fresh Manx food.
"The judges have been delighted by the creativity of the entrants and impressed by their culinary skills, but most importantly the excellence and flavours of the ingredients have shone through, proving you just can’t beat Manx."
All previous recipes are now available online at www.ilovemanx.org
As passionate champions of Manx produce, Hairy Bikers Si and Dave are the perfect judges for this competition.
They comment: "The Isle of Man is a true show stopper, ticking all the boxes for good quality fresh sustainable produce at a fair price."
The winner of I Love ManxChef will be awarded the coveted I Love ManxChef Trophy and a hamper of Manx produce worth ?150.
Sunday 27th September is the second and closing day of the Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival, so anyone who comes to the Villa Marina to watch the ManxChef cook-off will be able to enjoy plenty more gastronomic attractions.
