Over the past two months, regional cook-offs have taken place in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Cumbria, Merseyside and, for the first time, in Flintshire, to find the best of the north west.

The chefs going forward to the grand final at Manchester College on June 18 are:
Lancashire: Daniel Young, 20, Northcote Manor, Trough of Bowland
Greater Manchester: Steven Halligan, 20, Room Restaurant, Manchester
Cheshire: Ben Costello, 20, The Chester Grosvenor, Chester
Cumbria: Sam Nash, 21, L’Enclume, Cartmel
Merseyside: Daniel Heffy, 20, The Arts School, Liverpool
Flintshire: Cara Maguire, 18, The Tavern, Mold

Nigel Crane, Essential Cuisine managing director and member of the judging team, commented: “Congratulations to our six young finalists. In 12 years of competition we have seen an unprecedented rise in standards and I’m delighted to say that each of them has helped raise the bar yet again, showing such talent and coolness under pressure for ones so young. I greatly look forward to seeing them cook again in June where competition is sure to be fierce.”

As regional heat winners, the chefs will get to attend an exclusive masterclass with Aiden Byrne at The Manchester House Restaurant, where they will be able to hone their skills ahead of the competition under his watchful eye, and will also be rewarded with lunch at the Chefs Table.