A Mini Manx Food Market at Robinson’s headquarters in Braddan will host the heats of the 2014 I Love Manx Chef of the Year competition.
The market will be held on Saturday 6 September from 10am to 4pm with food stalls, including kipper baps and queenies, a range of Isle of Man food producers and free activities for youngsters, including a bouncy castle, sand art and face-painting.
The heats for the I Love Manx Chef of the Year competition will take place at 12pm and 1pm, with the winners going on to battle it out in the final, to be held on Sunday 21 September as part of the Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival.
The first heat will see Matthew Neary from Niarbyl Café and his ‘wrap and roll plaice’ take on 14 North’s Darren Woods, whose dish will be a ‘vegetarian delight’. The second heat will be between The Abbey Restaurant’s Danny Johnson, cooking half a Manx lobster with crab and potato salad, and James Stubbs from The Courthouse, who will serve up Manx lamb noisette.
Judges for the heats will be renowned Island chef Tony Quirk, Janna Horsthuis from sponsors Robinson’s and Audrey Fowler, Marketing Officer with the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA), with the winners being announced at 2pm.
Richard Ronan MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said:
‘The I Love Manx Chef of the Year competition has been running since 2009 and is all about promoting locally-produced ingredients as well as providing a showcase for some of the wonderfully talented chefs we have on the Island.
‘We have a particularly strong line-up for the heats, and I look forward to meeting the two finalists – and sampling their dishes – at the final during the Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival.’
John Horsthuis from Robinson’s said:
‘We are very pleased to support the I Love Manx Chef of the Year competition as we work closely with the Island’s catering sector, supplying high-quality local produce chefs use to produce delicious meals for their customers to enjoy. As a long-established Manx company, we recognise the importance of supporting the local economy, including our farmers, fishermen and producers. We are looking forward to seeing the innovative and tasty dishes produced by the chefs in this competition and we are sure that they will inspire visitors to have a go at home.’
I Love Manx is a joint initiative between DEFA and the Manx National Farmers’ Union. Last year’s Chef of the Year was Joan Mowat from Tanroagan seafood restaurant.
