Having beaten off the competition at the Royal Manx Agricultural Show, chefs Joan Mowat from Tanroagan Seafood Restaurant, Douglas and Marcus Purcell, Head Chef at the Glen Helen Inn, St Johns will be working hard to impress the judges at the 5th Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival.
The competition final is at 3pm on Saturday 21st September at the Villa Marina Gardens in front of the Manx Gas Cookery Theatre audience and judges The Fabulous Baker Brothers, DEFA Minister Phil Gawne MHK and Chris Franklin, chef lecturer at the Isle of Man College.
The I Love Manx “Chef of the Year” competition aims to not only give local chefs an opportunity to show off their culinary flair but it challenges them to make maximum use of the Isle of Man’s great quality local produce. Joan will be featuring delicious Manx Queenies in her Manx Queenie Pie with a leek and smoked bacon beurre blanc , served with local kale whilst Marcus has chosen tasty Manx beef for his Poached fillet of Manx beef, Manx root vegetables and thyme infused poached egg, served with a new approach to that Manx favourite of “chips, cheese and gravy”.
DEFA Minister, Phil Gawne MHK said: “I am very pleased that the chefs have chosen two of our premier Manx products, queenies from our seas and beef from our lush pastures, and I am looking forward to tasting their recipes. Our fishery and farming sectors contribute substantially to the Manx economy and, as visitors to the Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival will discover, they also provide a great diversity of food and drink for everyone to enjoy. For visitors on holiday here, the opportunity to sample well cooked and presented local produce is an important part of their visitor experience so I hope that the competition will inspire other chefs to feature local produce on their menus”.
Photo - finalist Joan Mowat in action during the semi finals of the I Love Manx "Chef of the Year" competition at the Royal Manx Agricultural Show.
