Competing against 700 other chefs, Croatian–born Loncoravic impressed the judges with his ability to “respond quickly and innovatively” in the fish challenge, where he had just 10 minutes to serve his medium-sized sea bass flavoured with fennel.

Speaking of his 17^th national and international competition, he said: “When the clock is ticking and you have just a few minutes to make a decision, all your experience comes in to play,” he said.

“I have a classical training and that stood me in good stead – fennel and fish are a perfect pairing and I’m just glad I kept a steady hand and was able to cook the dish to the judges’ satisfaction. It was an amazing experience.”

General manager for Sodexo Prestige Venue & Events at the stadium, Tony Crosbie, said: “Hrvoje is an avid competitor. He wants to win and needs to win. He is also a great developer of young chef talent and coached our former kitchen porter, Taylor Turner, to a best in class in the pasta dish live competition at the same event. Taylor is now a commis chef.”