A Chester village school chef from an Ellesmere Port catering firm has been named as one of the best in the country.

Paul Hardy is based at Taporley High School, on behalf of caterers Midshire Signature Services in Hooton.

He has come third at the 2024 School Chef of the Year (SCOTY) national final.

Paul, who had earlier in the year won the NW region heat, was competing against 11 other chefs from around the country at the LACA Main Event, which took place on July 3-4 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.

Competitors had to prepare, cook and present four portions of a main course and dessert with a total food cost of £1.60 per head in 90 minutes that meet the School Food Standards and Eat Well Guide.

Paul’s dishes were a seasoned chicken drumstick, red pepper and Spanish onion paella, sweet ‘patatas bravas’ and garlic aioli for the main, and for dessert he made layered biscuit, raspberry brownie and chocolate sponge, chocolate mousse, raspberry coulis and custard.

Paul won £100 from the regional final and £300 after his third place win.

The prestigious school chef competition, School Chef of the Year (SCOTY), is run by LACA, the School Food People and sponsored by Bisto, from Premier Food Foodservice. The competition attracts some of the very best school chef talent from across the country and aims to demonstrate the importance of high quality cooking in school meals.

LACA – the school food people, was established in 1990 and represents over 1,000 members drawn from across the school food sector representing public sector and private contract caterers and suppliers to schools, academies, and MATs across the UK.

The LACA School Chef of the Year (SCOTY) is now in its 30th year and has drawn national attention with the annual winners often appearing on TV to showcase school cooking.

Speaking before the final, dad-of-two Paul said: “It was a wonderful surprise to make the final, and I’m quite made up, to be honest.

“I think of school dinners as part of their kids’ education. I hope what we do is always a learning curve in tasty and healthy eating.

“Sometimes its just about building up their confidence to try new things, steering them away from the baked potato and beans.

“Katsu chicken curry is a favourite, along with pasta carbonara, nasi goreng, and paella’s always popular. It’s a lot different from when I was at school.

“Keeping everything under £1.60 is always the biggest challenge while still packing it full of flavour and nutrition.

“I’m a bit of a foodie myself. I like what I know, of course, but when I’m travelling, it’s a big passion of mine to try all the local foods and ingredients.

“My partner does most of the cooking at home; I do very little. I don’t complain.”