A YOUNG chef at Northcote Manor, Langho, is the toast of the county after coming second in a competition to find the king of the kitchen.

Paul Walker, 23, of Preston, represented Lancashire in the North West Young Chef of the Year competition, in Manchester, yesterday. He beat off culinary hopefuls from across the county to reach the finals and battled it out for the prestigious title with chefs from Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire and Cumbria.

His menu included wild Lytham sea bass, Westmoreland ham, Bowland lamb and homemade Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese ice-cream. Judges included Masterchef Brian Mellor, Robert Kisby of Manchester's Le Mont restaurant and John Patterson of La Palombara restaurant in Italy. The competition, organised by North West Fine Foods, aimed to to support young culinary talent.