Calling Merseyside’s Young Cooks to the CookIt! challenge

YOUNG cooks from Merseyside are challenged this year to enter CookIt! 2011, the children’s cookery competition which is run by The Guild of Food Writers and supported by Gold Top milk. This year’s theme is “In for the Skill” where children taking part in the competition will be asked to put their cooking talents to the test by creating a 2-course meal to demonstrate their skills in the kitchen.

Diana Henry, award winning food writer for the Sunday Telegraph, is heading the panel of expert judges for 2011. With the aim of getting children excited about food, The Guild of Food Writers is calling for entries from Merseyside now! Diana Henry says:- “I’m delighted to be part of the CookIt! 2011 judging panel. Cooking is all about creating new ideas and connecting people through recipes and The Guild of Food Writers’ CookIt! competition is a fantastic way to get children to explore ingredients and develop their skills in the kitchen. I cannot wait to see what the children cook up for this year’s competition!”

Winner of CookIt! 2010, 13 year old Anamay Viswanathan from Streatham in London, says:- “Going to the BBC Good Food kitchens last June to take part in the final of the CookIt! competition was very exciting. Both Valentine Warner and Stefan Gates watched on as we cooked our dishes and gave us pointers along the way. Hearing my name called out as the winner came as a total surprise! I won a 5-day-holiday for my family at a working Guernsey dairy farm in Cornwall which included a brilliant cookery course and local culinary tours!”

CookIt! is supported by Gold Top milk, which is produced by a cooperative of 400 British Jersey and Guernsey farmers. The competition is open to children aged 10-14 years. Their challenge is to create a menu for a delicious and imaginative two course meal for family or friends – a main meal that shows their imagination and originality and a scrummy dessert, ideally incorporating some milk – the dishes do not have to be complicated but must be their own creation and show originality and skill. Six finalists will then be chosen to attend a Cook Off in London in June. All finalists will receive exciting prizes with the main winner going on a family holiday to a working Jersey dairy farm.

Details of the competition and an entry form are available on online.  The closing date for entries is 28 April 2011 with the final cook off taking place on 9 June 2011 at the BBC Good Food magazine kitchens in London.

Farmers can use red diesel now to help out during this extreme weather snap!

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) confirmed that during extreme weather farmers can use red diesel in their tractors to help grit and clear snow from public roads. Under normal rules any vehicle that is specifically constructed or adapted for dealing with frost, ice and snow – such as a snow plough – can work on public roads while using red diesel. HMRC recognises the vital role played by farmers in helping to keep rural roads clear. So during this period of extreme weather HMRC will adopt a pragmatic approach to the rules. This means tractors on public roads clearing snow or gritting to provide access to schools, hospitals, a remote dwelling, or communities cut off by ice and snow are entitled to use red diesel. More details can be obtained by calling the Excise and Customs Helpline on:- 0845 010 9000.

Sell out for Harry Potter Tunnel Tour

THE special Harry Potter Tunnel Tour, scheduled for Friday 10 December, has sold out within hours of details being released, with interest in the tour so great that a 2nd tour has been scheduled on the same evening to meet demand.

The tours will offer a unique opportunity for visitors to find out more about the filming of the new Harry Potter film – Deathly Hallows Part 1, in which Queensway Tunnel was used as the double for the Dartford Tunnel. The tour includes a rare opportunity, whilst the Tunnel is shut for maintenance, to walk out onto the roadway and see where the exciting chase scenes involving Harry and Hagrid were shot.

Neil Scales, chief executive of Merseytravel, said:- “We are delighted at the reaction to this tour. Unfortunately times and numbers have to be strictly limited because the roadway will only be closed for a limited time whilst the Tunnel is shut for maintenance, but if we get the opportunity to do this again at some time in the future we will do so.”

The VisitBritain website lists Queensway Tunnel as one of the must see locations for Harry Potter filming.  To register interest for future tours please call:- 0151 330 4504 or by email.  The tour is open to anyone aged 10 and over, however it is not suitable for anyone with breathing or walking difficulties.

FASCINATING FACTS

► It took 1,700 men 9 years to build the Queensway Tunnel, during which time, 17 men were killed.

► Over 1,200,000 tons of rock, gravel and clay were excavated during the build. Material left over was used to build Otterspool Promenade.

► The tunnel is 2 miles long and contains a single carriageway of 4 lanes, 2 in each direction.

► The Queensway Tunnel remained open day and night through the devastating bomb raids of 1941.

► Buses were not allowed to travel through the tunnel until the 1970s.

► The entrance to the Kingsway Tunnel was used in the video game Grand Theft Auto III

► 35,000 vehicles go through the tunnel per day.

► Queensway is the safest tunnel in Europe for its age and in the event of an emergency, Merseyside police can broadcast information through motorists’ radios.