I Love Manx Cookery competitions launched

The I Love Manx campaign launched the 2011 Family and Professional Chef competitions at Gellling’s Free Range Eggs Ltd, Baldrine, with a great Manx breakfast cooked by DEFA Minister John Shimmin MHK, Ray Craine, President of the Manx NFU and Gary Cregeen, sales and marketing manager of Manx Gas Ltd, sponsors of the competitions.

I Love Manx is seeking keen family and professional cooks to enter its annual competitions which emphasise the use of fresh, Manx produced ingredients. Entrants will be asked to cook in front of a live audience and judges in the Manx Food Theatre at the Royal Manx Agriculture Show in August, followed by the final at the Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival in September. Family cooks will need to impress Masterchef Semi-Finalist Stacie Stewart on Saturday, 24 September whilst professional chefs will be judged by celebrity chef James Martin of ‘Saturday Kitchen’ fame on Sunday, 25 September.

Competition details and entry forms can be obtained from I Love Manx, Agriculture House, Ballafletcher Farm Road, Isle of Man IM4 4QE or contact@ilovemanx.org The closing date for entries is 24 June, 2011. The prize for the Family Chef winner is £300, plus a unique cookery day for four at Relish Cookery School in Glen Audlyn, whilst professional chefs will win £500 personally, plus a double page advertisement for their place of work.

Gary Cregeen said: ”Manx Gas is delighted to be associated with these competitions which celebrate the culinary skills of cooks on the Island plus the quality of local Manx produce. We are also pleased to be the Gold sponsor of the Isle of Man Food & Drink Festival which is a superb showcase for Manx produce and highlights the importance of good food and healthy eating. It’s not only an event which stimulates the taste buds but one which offers some great entertainment for the whole family while bringing together all communities on the Island.”

The I Love Manx Campaign is a joint initiative of the Manx National Farmers’ Union and the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.