The second heat of the I Love ManxChef competition will be hotting up at The Royal Manx Agricultural Show, this Saturday 8th, in the Manx Food Live Theatre.

Four local contestants will be competing against the clock in a live cooking challenge to find out who will go forward to the final at the Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival at the Villa Marina on Sunday 27th September.

Whoever wins the Northern heat will join Southern Heat winner Samantha Honey-Pollock, selected at the Southern Agricultural Show, in the ultimate cook off championship to be judged by The Hairy Bikers.

The four Royal Manx Show finalists are:

Chris Callow (Onchan), stir-frying Ginger Queenies with Chinese Greens

Jessica Cross (Jurby East), sweetening the judges' taste buds with her Blackcurrant Sorbet and Carrot Snaps

Lizia Medina Quinn (from Brazil to Andreas!), offering a Brazilian dish ‘Coxinha’

Claire Quayle (Andreas), cooking Lively Lambs Liver with local vegetables, served on a bed of rice.

Kathryn Sentance, of Relish Cookery School, will again provide the finalists with cookery equipment and ably assist and interview the cooks as they prepare their dishes, in front of an audience in the Manx Food Live Theatre.

Kathryn will also test their ingredients knowledge with on the spot questions.

The recipes will be judged on three key criteria: Proportion of Manx produce used, Presentation and Taste.

All four Royal Manx Show contestants will be closely scrutinised by the Northern Heat judges: Dudley Butt MLC; President of the Manx NFU, Howard Quayle and Health Minister, Eddie Teare MHK.

Recipes of the four Southern finalists’ are available now at www.ilovemanx.org; the Northern finalists’ recipes will be posted on the site after the Royal Manx Show heat on 8th August.

I Love Manx Campaign is a joint initiative of the Manx National Farmers’ Union and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.