A Tattenhall chef has reached the regional finals of a prestigious competition to find the country’s culinary superstars.

Dylan Owens is among just 18 young people who have been selected to compete for The Roux Scholarship this year.

The 29-year-old who works for Fine Dining Company will cook for some of the country’s top chefs in Birmingham on Thursday (March 23).

“I’ve been a regional finalist before and unfortunately I didn’t make it through to the final six, but I’m hoping this year is my year,” Dylan said.

The Roux Scholarship, aimed at UK chefs under 30-years-old, was launched in 1984 by Roux brothers Albert and Michel.

They wanted to enable a new generation of food experts from Britain to train in the greatest restaurants in the world.

What they envisaged was that the chefs would start their own restaurants and slowly begin to change the gastronomic landscape of the UK.

The competition is based on technical skill, a strong palate and deep appreciation and understanding of the history of classical cooking.

This year’s challenge was to create a recipe to serve four people using one whole fresh rainbow trout, live mussels and two garnishes including jasmine rice.

“The brief was a difficult one,” Dylan said, “but also very interesting as it makes you think about products and what you can do with them.

“It’s a classical competition but I think they like to see chefs expressing themselves using both modern and classic methods together.”

Participants had to submit a written recipe with method and costing to demonstrate a balance of creativity, taste, style and practicality for the first round of the competition.

Competition judge and chef James Martin said: “Several recipes shone out with great explanations and images. Let’s hope they taste as good!”

The two regional finals will be held simultaneously on Thursday (March 23) at University College Birmingham and University of West London, Ealing.

Competitors will have two and a half hours to cook their dish, along with a dessert from a mystery box of ingredients given to them on the day.

Judges at the Birmingham competition include ex-Masterchef judge Michel Roux Jnr, Ready, Steady, Cook’s Brian Turner, André Garrett and Sat Bains.

Six people will be chosen to carry on to the final round where they will compete for a three-month all expenses paid stage at any three star Michelin restaurant in the world.