CHESTER'S Curtis Tonge has reached the national final of a prestigious competition to find Britain's best young chef.

The talented head chef at The Forge restaurant in the city centre secured his place in the final of The Roux Scholarship during the recent regional finals.

He will now go up against five other chefs to compete for the title of Roux Scholar 2020/21 during the national final in London on October 25.

The Roux Scholarship has been running for more than 30 years and is the competition all serious young chefs want to win.

It is judged by Michel Roux Jnr from BBC Saturday Kitchen, Kitchen Impossible and Masterchef, Brian Turner CBE of BBC's Ready, Steady, Cook, and James Martin from BBC Saturday Kitchen, This Morning and Saturday Morning with James Martin, as well as many other Michelin-starred chefs.

Following an 18-month delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the regional finals went ahead at University College Birmingham and University of West London.

With a mystery box that included apples, oranges and Grand Marnier for the dessert challenge, the 18 regional finalists also cooked their recipes for hake, clams and leeks, with six chefs claiming a place in the national final.

Curtis, who lives in the Chester area, has been working in kitchens since he was a young boy and has spent his career working with some of the greatest chefs in the UK, with a particular passion for sticking to his northern roots.

He has worked alongside Liam Mccay at The Chefs Table as well as Simon Radley at The Grosvenor Hotel.

Curtis has also trained under Lisa Allen Goodwin of Northcote and had the opportunity to cook at Obsession working alongside 17 of this country’s greatest chefs with a collective 22 stars between them.

Before joining as head chef at The Forge, Curtis was amongst the team to open Ellis Barrie’s Lerpwl.