Face to fez!

Turkish restaurant manager Bayram Pallavus and head chef Geoff King have been 'doing battle' for the last three months, both claiming to be able to do each other's jobs.

They work at Holden Vale Hotel and Conference Centre, Holcombe Road, Helmshore, where they will adopt each other's jobs for the contest to see who's best.

Both live in Rawtenstall, but that's all they have in common. If Bayram loses, he has to take elocution lessons and Geoff will have to learn belly dancing!

Bayram, 30, said: "My menu will be taken from dishes from the Ottoman empire."

Geoff, 49, said: "My menu is from a 19th century old English cook book."

Bayram had his own restaurant in Turkey for eight years and has worked at Holden Vale for six months.

Geoff has been a chef for 30 years and worked in eight countries all over the world. He even served Diana, Princess of Wales. He said: "Bayram comes to my kitchen and says I should be moving faster and keeps saying how good a cook he is. I said if you think you can do it, come in here and I'll go out there." Bayram said: "The service I give customers is much more professional and as soon as they hear my accent they ask where I come from. Jack Straw did the other week. It's a great conversation starter."

Geoff said: "I have worked in eight different countries and I am a lot more professional than people who have only worked in their own country."

Bayram pouted: "I used to serve a couple of hundred people every day -- and not with cabbage and ribs! I will try to teach him a thing or two."

Geoff retorted: "I'll show him how a restaurant should be run!"

They swap places next Friday when Bayram will be cooking, and swap back on April 13.

Diners will be asked to give both workers marks out of ten for their performance.

Owner Alan Davies said that if the nights were a success, guest chefs from other countries may be brought in to do other speciality evenings.

Geoff said: "We are really good friends, we just take the mickey out of each other."