A TALENTED chef has narrowly missed out on a place in a regional cookery competition in a red hot contest held this week.

Owen Ashby, who lives in Burtonwood and works at the Swan pub, in Winwick, tested his culinary skills against 12 other chefs in the first Manchester heat to find the pub chef of the year. But he was beaten to the top prize by a chef from Manchester.

The 36-year-old, who is married to Julie and has two sons, Michael and Kieran, added a French twist to his concoctions on Tuesday as he created a delectable dish comprising of cod with cointreau sauce and orange crepes.

The final of the competition, which will be judged by Ready, Steady, Cook chef Tony Tobbin, will take place in Northampton on October 1 and the top prize is a trip to Paris and the Champagne region of France.