Television chef Jeanne Rankin of Roscoff's restaurant in Belfast is to be one of the judges in the first all-Ireland schools' seafood cookery competition, jointly sponsored by Bord Iascaigh Mhara and Northern Ireland Seafood. Details of the competition were announced in Dublin yesterday.
The BIM schools' competition has been in operation in the Republic for 35 years but this year's contest will be held under the EU's Special Support programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland. It was launched by the Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods, and Lord Dubs, the Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture and the Environment.
Last year, 220 schools entered the competition. This year, 960 schools north and south of the Border have been invited to enter. The final will take place in Belfast next April and the closing date for entries is December 5th.