A self-taught, innovative pizza chef working in south Cumbria will take three of his creations to the finals of a prestigious awards ceremony in London this November. GABRIELLE ROWLEY visits the kitchen of Greenodd local Ryan McNab to discover the secret to his culinary success.

"THE Willy Wonka of pizzas" has always possessed a certain creative flair in the kitchen.

Ryan McNab, 35, began his career as a cocktail maker and bartender in Leeds. And his creativity for mixing and naming drinks has translated well in to his current job. Now after breezing through the semi-finals to join around 20 other pizza chefs deemed the best in Britain, he will compete in the finals of the 2016 Pizza and Pasta Awards. Ryan said: "I like to create pizza toppings that not many people would think of.

"When I first started making gourmet pizza, people weren't sure whether they would take off in the area.

"However, I like to experiment with flavours that would be unusual on a traditional Italian pizza."

The three pizzas that Ryan will make in the London finals of The UK Pizza Chef of the Year, will be some of his signature flavours:

What the Duck; La Tomatina; and Fajitzza

Ryan is based at the Britannia Inn in Main Street, Penny Bridge, where he now runs his business and whips up all of the food for the pub.

His McPizzas are still his specialty. He said: "I've gained a bit of a reputation as a Willy Wonka of pizzas.

"If I can think of a dish that people enjoy eating, I'll try and make it in to a pizza topping. Kind of in the same way Willy Wonka gave Violet Beauregarde the chewing gum that tastes like a full roast dinner, my pizzas can incorporate a whole other meal or type of cuisine as their topping.

"With the What The Duck pizza, I wanted it to taste pretty much like a crispy duck pancake. It's made with Hoisin sauce so it's a pizza for people who love Chinese food I guess.

"The Fajitzza is a similar idea, the topping is made from fresh fajita ingredients for a Mexican twist.

"La Tomatina is made with sun blush tomatoes and I named it after a Spanish festival where locals all pelt each other with the fruits."

The pizza chef competition will take place on the morning of Thursday November 10, judged by celebrity Park Lane chef Theo Randall, and the winner will be announced at the awards ceremony that evening.

Ryan said that he first began to take an interest in the different ingredients used in cooking when he worked as a waiter at Jamie's Italian in Leeds.

He then taught himself how to make the dough and sauces for his deliciously crispy, thin-based pizzas from Youtube tutorials.

Ryan runs a special Wednesday evening pizza night at the Britannia Inn each week to showcase his signature recipes and promotes his business mostly through the expedient of social media.