A HOTEL and pub in the Ribble Valley has got its hands on a globe-trotting chef after he decided to settle in his native Lancashire.

Burnley-born Anson Bolton has been made Chef Patron of the Millstone Hotel, on Church Road, Mellor.

Mr Bolton, 34, has honed his skills and expanded his repertoire of dishes working in exotic locations such as Singapore, the Caribbean and Australia.

He has worked for three years on five world cruises with P&O's flagship cruise liner Oriana and at the Four star Queens Hotel in Chester.

He will work as chef and manager at the Shire Hotels' two star establishment, that has won an AA rosette for the past seven years running.

He will be joined by Head Chef Doug Hargreaves, also from Burnley, who has worked in all of the company's four star hotels in the country. Mr Bolton said: "Although I have seen some wonderful places, you can't take a family with you and I've really enjoyed settling into village life in Mellor.

"It will be great to be able to spend time both in the kitchen and also in the restaurant meeting our customers and getting to know the locals." He has moved to Mellor with his wife Sarah and their two young children.