The Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. From small beginnings, it has grown into one of the major events in the local calendar, with last year’s event attracting over 8,500 visitors.

This year festival regulars will be joined by new exhibitors including Isle of Man Quinoa, Smoo, Gelatory, Hound & Howl and Black Dog Oven, and the celebrity guest will be none other than Adam Henson of BBC1’s Countryfile.

It takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 15 and 16.

The packed programme ensures there will be something for everyone, with an interactive children’s tent, milking cows, rare breed animals, cooking demonstrations, artisan crafts, celebrity book signing, live music, craft beers and local wines.

It also sees the finalists vying for the titles of Isle of Man Chef of the Year and Student Chef of the Year.

For those looking to relax into the evening, Saturday’s late night opening will offer an eclectic mix of street foods and local entertainment, kick-started by the island’s annual Hot Dog Eating Competition hosted by Dave’s Delicious Dogs, where the winner of the coveted mustard-yellow belt will be decided as contestants go head-to-head representing their chosen organisation.

Geoffrey Boot MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ’On the 10th anniversary of the Festival it’s great to see so many exhibitors who are either new to food and drink production or are using quality local ingredients to expand their businesses with new products, ideas and approaches.

With more than 60 different exhibitors at this year’s event it promises to be bigger and better than ever: this is a festival that keeps on growing.

’It’s worth a great deal to our island too.

’Our recent research shows that the Festival delivers more than a quarter of a million pounds into the Manx economy.

’Through its Food Matters strategy the department is proud to support those who are new to the food and drink sector or are diversifying their product range. The Food and Drink Festival is their best possible showcase.’

Adam Henson will be a special guest at this year’s Festival

Born into a farming family, Adam gained experience with animals and farming from an early age. Having succeeded Bemborough Farm tenancy from his father, Adam now runs the 650-hectare estate with his business partner, Duncan Andrews, growing wheat, spring barley and oilseed rape, alongside a flock of 350 commercial ewes.

They also run the Cotswold Farm Park which pioneers rare breed conservation. Set up in 1971 by Adam’s father, this award-winning tourist attraction now welcomes over 100,000 visitors a year.

In 2001, Adam was chosen from 3,500 applicants to be a presenter for BBC Countryfile. He has since put his farming knowledge to good use, broadcasting on a wide range of programmes for both radio and TV.

Chef of the Year

Renowned Manx-born chef, Colin Clague, will be one of the judges for the finals of the Isle of Man Chef of the Year and Student Chef of the Year contests. Colin, who has worked in some of the world’s leading restaurants, will also be staging demonstrations in the Manx Cookery Theatre on Sunday.

Chef of the Year and Student Chef of the Year are both head to head contests between two finalists who have already been decided in the heats which took place earlier this year.

The finalists for Isle of Man Chef of the Year are Darren Woods from 14North and Zaneta Krol from Howarths. For the Student Chef of the Year contest they are Louise Thomas and Charles Hudson.

The contests are sponsored by Robinsons.

At this year’s Great Taste Awards, products from the Isle of Man won a total of 63 awards.

Berries Luxury Pudding Makers and Confectioners and Close Leece Farm achieved the highest, three star, accolades signifying a product the judges described as ’exquisite’.

Berries received the award for their Whey Butter Fruit cake for Cheese, while Close Leece Farm were recognised for their Manx Chorizo.

Other winners who will be exhibiting at the Festival are: Ballakelly Farm; Isle of Man Meats; Leela’s Kitchen; Dave’s Delicious Dogs; Isle of Man Creamery; The Dairy Shed; Laxey Glen Mills Limited, and Paula’s Kitchen.

PokerStars are once again sponsoring the festival

Jon Weedon, who is responsible for corporate sponsorship at PokerStars, said: ’We are delighted to support the Island’s biggest and best celebration of local food and drink for a second year running.

’The festival brings together producers, retailers and consumers who share a passion for quality local produce.

’We are keen to support the economy as well as our communities and what better way to demonstrate this than through such a popular event, which attracts large crowds and boosts business.’

Manx National Dish

Will it be lamb, raised on the island’s hillside pastures? Will it be Queenies from our abundant seas? Or maybe even chips, cheese and gravy, made with good old Manx spuds and cheese from Isle of Man Creamery?

Our favourite ingredient for a new Manx National Dish, as chosen by a public vote, will be revealed at the Food Festival. Well-known local chef, Tony Quirk, will make the ingredient the star in the new dish which he will cook at 2pm on Sunday in the Manx Food Theatre. There will be samples to taste and copies of the recipe to take away so you can try it at home.

Geoffrey Boot, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ’Thanks to our hard-working farmers and food producers, the Isle of Man boasts an array of high quality produce, traditional and new.

’We asked the public which product they feel best symbolises Isle of Man food and drink and will create a tasty dish around it, which people can also make at home.’

New Exhibitors at the Food Festival

As well as all our favourite local food producers, many of them offering special offers or exclusive products at the Festival, there will also be some interesting new exhibitors this year.

Smoo - run by local food entrepreneur, Phil Taylor, and Nicole Crawley is a new take on ice cream.

Smoo is Manx for ’great’ and the gelato-style ice cream stays true to its roots putting local flavours inspired by the seasons at the centre of things. Flavours available at the show will include milk and honey and apple pie.

Nicole said: ’We are really looking forward to showcasing our products at this year’s Isle of Man Food and Drink festival.’

Manx Loaghtan - Jenny Shepherd will be offering a rare chance to buy Manx Loaghtan meat: she will be bringing legs, sausages, shoulders and burgers.

Jenny who runs a 900-strong flock of Manx Loaghtans on her farm near Patrick, explained: ’You can’t eat a Loaghtan until they’re at least 18-24 months old. They’re slow maturing which is what gives them the flavour.’

Jenny will also be displaying the range of Loaghtan wool and woollen products which she sells all over the world. The wool is much sought after as the fleeces are soft, close textured and lustrous, heavily oiled and excellent for hand spinning.

When spun is naturally a dark to light toffee colour. Once knitted it is fine enough to be comfortably worn next to the skin yet robust enough to be used in outerwear.

One of the requirements for all exhibitors at the festival is that they give a pledge to state any changes they have made to becoming more environmentally friendly, whether this is by decreasing the amount of plastic packaging or decreasing their carbon footprint.

This fits in very well with philosophy of Bronwyn Ward and Debbie Carcas who have founded a business based on reducing the use of plastic.

Dee & Bee Wraps offers a range of homemade Manx beeswax wraps which can be used instead of plastic clingfilm. The wraps, which are made from cotton, wax from local beekeeper Robert Wright, jojoba oil and tree resin, can be washed and reused.

When they come to the end of their life they can go on the compost heap of be cut into strips and used as firelighters.

Debbie said: ’We’re looking forward to the Food and Drink Festival. We will be in the main tent which we’re very excited about.

Being a non-food product we wouldn’t normally be in there, but they’ve decided to have us there because we fit within the ethos of this year’s focus.’

Manx Natural Dog Food company, Hound and Howl, is also a new exhibitor at the festival this year.

Their offering includes Jolly Hounds, Manx artisan dog treats such as dried tripe, and a range of made from local meat including lamb, beef, rabbit, and game.

Founder Sarah Jewell said: ’We wanted to be able to feed our dogs Manx meat that was not only nutritional but provided a traceable product that fulfilled their specific requirements as carnivores.

’We have access to the finest local produce right on our doorstep. Isle of Man Meats only takes animals from the local agricultural sector, meaning provenance and traceability is really strong, with all suppliers less than 22 miles away.

’We have worked closely with Isle of Man Meat Company, local farmers and DEFA to develop a range of products that we are extremely proud of.’