Last updated 12:11, Wednesday, 01 October 2008

THE Welsh Culinary Team is coming to the Lake District to warm up for the food Olympics.

The Culinary Olympics is held every four years and is the biggest event in the gastronomic calendar.

This year it will take place in the German town of Erfurt from October 18 to 22. A total of 2,000 top chefs and pastry chefs, 40 national teams, 90 regional teams and 11 military teams will be taking part. Lee Jeynes, the executive chef at English Lakes Hotels, is the captain of the Welsh Culinary Team. As part of their training, he and his team will be preparing a competition standard three course meal for guests at the Bay Restaurant in Ambleside on October 1.

He said: “This training session will be important for us, coming only two weeks before the Culinary Olympics gets under way.

“It will be very useful to see what diners make of the dishes we’ve got planned for the big event.”

Mr Jeynes has previously led the Welsh team in preparing banquets for leading international statesmen including the Emperor of Japan and Nelson Mandela.

They have also cooked for the Queen and Prince Charles during the state opening of the Welsh Assembly.