A TALENTED 20-year-old has celebrated his success after being judged Junior Chef of Wales 2019.

Sion Hughes said he was 'shocked' after winning the title at the Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC) held at Grwp Llandrillo Menai's Rhos-on-Sea campus.

In the final between four chefs across the country aged between 17 and 23, Sion, who works at Carden Park near Chester, impressed the judges with his three course meal for four people that included a vegan starter, a Welsh lamb main course and a dessert with Welsh honey.

The winning combination had a starter of Jerusalem artichoke and wild mushroom risotto, followed by a herb crusted Rhug Estate loin of lamb with shoulder fritter, ratte mash, pickled onion and dust, and beer vinegar.

He created a rhubarb tart for dessert with vanilla cremeux, honey glass, yoghurt and honey sorbet.

They had three hours to complete the challenge and Sion, from Wrexham, will now be through to the semi-finals of the Young National Chef of the Year organised by the Craft Guild of Chefs.

All four Welsh finalists had qualified by winning their challenging regional events. Also competing were Oliver Thompson from Beaumaris, Anglesey, Thomas Martin, of Whitchurch, Cardiff and Daniel Britton, of Newport, South Wales.

Sion said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to have won, but I have to admit I am shocked. I wasn’t expecting to win at all.

"The other three chefs are of a very good calibre so the standard was high in the final.

"To have won is brilliant. It will take a while to sink in."

Sion will now visit the Worldchefs Congress 2020 with the Culinary Association of Wales, which organised the WICC, where he will be part of the Worldchefs Young Chefs Club.

He has also been invited on a study tour hosted by Koppert Cress in the Netherlands and will receive a set of engraved F. Dick Knives, as well as £100 worth of Churchill products.

The event was also an opportunity for the judges – chairman Colin Gray, Culinary Team Wales manager Nick Davies, Junior Culinary Team Wales junior team manager Michael Evans and Junior Culinary Team Wales coach Danny Burke – to cast their eyes over the talent as they prepare for big events on the horizon including the Junior Culinary Olympics in Germany.

The WICC are organised by the Culinary Association of Wales and the main sponsor is Food and Drink Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government’s department representing the food and drink industry.

Other sponsors include Meat Promotion Wales/Hybu Cig Cymru, Castell Howell, Major International, Harlech Foods, H. N. Nuttall, Churchill, MCS Tech, Rollergrill, Koppertcress and Dick Knives.