On the boil

Nothing creates more excitement than a bit of competition and this year we are laying down the gauntlet with two tasty challenges

The Presenters’ Challenge 10am, Friday 25 September

BBC Radio Cornwall Breakfast Show presenter James Churchfield has a point to prove at this year’s festival. An enthusiastic cook, he has been challenged by co-host Pam Spriggs to this cook-off in front of a live audience. Judges will decide who can cook the best autumn meal using the Cornish ingredients given on the day.

The pair are assisted by celebrated Cornish chefs - Kevin Viner, proprietor chef at Viners Restaurant at Summercourt, and Nick Barclay, whose new restaurant, The Blue Plate at Downderry, has just opened.

Pam Spriggs works with James Churchfield on the Breakfast Programme and also presents the mid-morning programme each Saturday morning on BBC Radio Cornwall between 9am and 12pm. She is a popular voice around Cornwall and is well know for her doggy tales and walks around the Cornish coast. When she's not looking after her canine companions, Pam enjoys the social side of life and although she enjoys food she freely admits she's no galloping gourmet. Always keen to pick up culinary skills, she's very much looking forward to creating a meal from local produce that will impress the panel.

James took over the weekday breakfast show in September 2003 after more than five years at the helm of BBC Radio Cornwall’s weekend breakfast programmes. James got into radio via the much maligned Media Studies type course, studying in Birmingham after getting his 'A' Levels at Penwith College in Penzance. He's back to school again now and has been learning Italian at both Cornwall College and Truro College for four years.

His first real holiday abroad was just four years ago to Lake Garda and it was the beginning of his love affair with la dolce vita italiana. His love of Italy extends to his passion for cooking. "Friday nights are invariably Italian nights at Chez Churchfield – I make a mean aubergine and tomato bake. The fact it goes so well with a bottle of Chianti is a mere coincidence!".

When not on the radio, James likes to relax by swimming, walking the coastal footpath with his fiancée Jane or catching up with the TV programmes he's recorded because, remember, that alarm goes off at 4am so it’s off to bed by 9pm.

Young chefs' challenge

10am, Sunday 27 September

Broadcast live on BBC Radio Cornwall, teams from Bosvigo and Grampound Road schools will go head to head against the clock to create a brunch using ingredients they choose themselves from the festival exhibitors.

Neil Haydock from Fifteen Cornwall at Watergate Bay and Sanjay Kumar from The Greenbank Hotel in Falmouth, both with an interest in developing our chefs of the future, will be helping the teams with their dishes. Sponsored by the Women’s Food and Farming Union, this is not just about cooking.

The teams, and their classmates, are also challenged to think about where the food comes from, if it is good for you and how much it costs.