AN EAST Lancashire chef is officially the second best young cook in the country.

Danny Young, from Grove Street, Oswaldtwistle, was named runner up in the Young Chef of the Year after a nail-biting final at the Restaurant Show, at London’s Olympia.

The 21-year-old, who was crowned the best in Lancashire in May before scooping the North West title in June, was handed the award by the Craft Guild of Chefs.

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Danny, who has worked at the Michelin-starred Northcote hotel, in the Ribble Valley, for four years, practised his menus under the watchful eye of Northcote owner Nigel Howarth and head chef Lisa Allen, and was mentored by Mark Sargent, the one-time presenter of weekend morning show Saturday Cookbook, to prepare himself for the big day.

His dishes included quail, artichoke, grapes and smoked nuts, with a honey dressing; hake with a clam and mussel chowder, with crispy squid; and a snazzed-up Arctic roll with bread and butter pudding.

The ever-competitive Danny was disappointed, though, not to land first prize.

He said: “I am gutted that I didn’t win and that I didn’t come first.

“I was one point off coming top and it was a bit annoying, but I will try again next year.

“We were being watched by a couple of hundred people but you just blank it out, get your head down and get on with it and ignore who’s in front of you, concentrating on your cooking.

“I would just like to thank the team at Northcote and I will try again next year.”

The winner and all the runners-up will be taken on a study trip to Scotland and to a five-star venue for a culinary tour.