A HOGHTON man has been crowned Lancashire Young Chef of the Year.

Martin Hargreaves, who grew up in Blackburn and now works at Stanley House in Mellor, beat five other chefs to become the hottest culinary talent in the county.

The former pupil of St Wilfrid’s Secondary School, in Blackburn, said he had always loved the buzz of cooking.

The 23-year-old said: “This award is a dream come true. It’s the kind of thing I hoped for when I was just starting out at college, and I can’t believe it’s happened.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the process of designing my own menu, sourcing the produce and working closely with local suppliers, and preparing the dishes for the judging panel.”

To win the title, Martin who is the senior chef de partie at Stanley House, was tasked with cooking up a winning three-course meal for two alongside the other finalists, using local produce costing up to £25.

He impressed judges during the cook-off at Lancaster and Morecambe College with a starter of cauliflower risotto followed by a main course of Huntley’s roe buck venison, with apple trifle for dessert.

He was presented with the coveted title at the Lancashire Excellence in Tourism Skills (LETS) Awards held at Fleetwood’s Marine Hall.

Martin said: “I am absolutely over the moon and now I’m just looking forward to taking it as far as I can at the north west regional awards.

“I have cooked from a very young age because I love the response I get when I put a good plate of food in front of people, it is amazing.”

The talented young chef, who lives with his parents Lynn and Ian in Hoghton, trained at Blackburn College and Mytton Fold Hotel, Langho.

In 2004, he was named Modern Apprentice Student of the Year by his college tutors and his ambition is to become one of Lancashire’s next Michelin- starred chefs.

Oliver Cooke, general manager at Stanley House Hotel, said: “It was great to be there on the night and celebrate with him and we look forward to supporting Martin as he prepares for the north west finals.”

His colleague Emma Eccleston was highly commended in the Excellence in Customer Service Category.