AN East Lancashire chef has won a top title at the PubChef Food Excellence Awards for 2009.

Thomas Pickering, from The Three Fishes in Mitton, won the Poultry Chef of the Year award at the awards in London.

Thomas came through an initial ‘paper’ judging, followed by a national cook-off in Milton Keynes, where he had to prepare his chosen dish, of devilled breast of cornfed Goosnargh chicken, devil sauce, chunky chips, onion rings, watercress and field mushrooms, within a set time, in front of a panel of expert judges.

Three of Thomas’s colleagues also reached the finals of the awards, Richard Upton in the pub classics category, Calum Wilcock in bar dishes category and Tamara Cookson, in the desserts category.