A LAKE District chef has made it through to the final stages of a top cooking competition.

Ollie Fitton, 21, a junior sous chef at The Ryebeck in Bowness has made it through to the final 12 of the Young Chef of the Year contest.

The competition now in its second year is hosted by M Restaurant and Bookatable by Michelin in association with Champagne Pommery.

The finalists, all young chefs under the age of 29, hail from some of the best restaurants across the UK.

They were selected after submitting an original four-course menu to judges.

All the 12 finalists have all suitably impressed M Group Executive Chef Michael Reid and the other guest judges in the two competition rounds and have now been invited to M's RAW Restaurant in London to cook in a series of pop up takeover nights from July 3 to 28, with diners and judges voting for their favourite young chef each evening.

Mr Fitton said: "When I was at college I was inspired by some of the chefs who are judging me, I just hope that I’m lucky enough in the future to be able to inspire kids coming through schools and colleges to get involved in cooking in professional kitchen - so let’s see what happen."

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on July 31.