As we approach the annual Food and Drink Festival this weekend, the Isle of Man Examiner wanted to find out what the public think about the food we produce in our island.

Andrew and Nancy Mackness who have lived between the UK and Spain, but recently moved to Douglas, are big supporters of one product in particular. He said: ‘We actually buy Manx butter in southern Spain, it really stands out on the supermarket shelves.’

Nancy, who has a background in cooking, said you can notice a difference between the Manx product and other options, she said: ‘I always go for a salted butter and the Manx one is definitely creamier.’

She added: ‘I really embrace all that the Isle of Man has to offer, there’s a contrast with what we’re used to in the UK.

‘Everything is just either bleached or pumped with water or preservatives, you get fed up as well with the same brands and your food becomes a bit repetitive. I’m really looking forward to even just trying cuts of meat that I’ve never tried but will try now from local butchers.’

Debbie Lias from the Strang area told the Examiner she likes Manx products but can find them too expensive, she said: ‘We do our best, we try, but things like meat it’s a bit ridiculous the prices. We’ll go to farmers’ markets and the little stalls at the side of the road but it is difficult because a lot of it is quite expensive.

‘We’re near Strang stores so if we run out of milk and things like that we’ll buy local but you do find that the milk is cheaper elsewhere then it is to buy Manx milk. They’ve got a captive audience really so if they brought the prices down I think people would be more inclined to buy Manx food, especially now as every time we go to the supermarket recently the prices go up.’

However, she still makes an effort: ‘You have got to shop around, we try and go to the local butchers even though it can be a little more expensive but we have got to keep it going otherwise it’s going to be gone for good.’

Lara and Ffinlo Williams from Ramsey are also patrons of the local butchers, they said: ‘Lee Mayers butchers in Kirk Michael do really good value meat packs, we also go to Isle of Man Creamery for cheese.

‘We love Davison’s Ice Cream but we’ve also just been introduced to Gelatory which is a good contender.’

Whilst she admitted to not being a frequent buyer of certain Manx seafood specialities, Lara said: ‘If we nip down to Peel we always go to the crab shack man and get a kipper bap but we don’t use them in our general day to day cooking.’

Ffinlo added: ‘I love a good kipper but they stink out the house when you cook them.’

However, the Williams also mentioned cost, saying: ‘It’s always a bit more expensive then the supermarket so at the beginning of the month when we’ve just been paid we’re likely to splash out on more local stuff but towards the end of the month we’re looking towards the bargain aisle.

‘You always notice a difference in quality though, especially with the meat.’

Andrew Jepson who frequently visits the island from Nottingham said hotel breakfasts are better here, he said: ‘You notice a difference with the sausages and stuff, it’s always more tasty and better than the mainland.

‘I often have kippers for breakfast if we’re staying in the Best Western, we used to take some back home with us but it would stink the car out.

‘We also always have Davison’s ice cream.’