Search to find the best young chef in the North West begins

The search to find the North West of England's young cooking talent has begun, with entries for Essential Cuisine's 2015 North West Young Chef of the year competition now open.

Now in its 13th year, the contest invites young people from across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Flintshire, Merseyside, Cheshire and Cumbria to compete against each other to produce a three-course meal for two with an emphasis on local and seasonal produce.

Alongside the kudos of being crowned the North West Young Chef of the Year, the eventual winner will receive £500 and automatically qualify for the semi-finals of The Young National Chef of the Year competition, where they will square off against some of the best young chefs in the country.

County heat winners will also attend a masterclass with an acclaimed chef prior to the final as an opportunity to hone particular skills with the industry's best. 2014 finalists enjoyed a session with Aiden Byrne at Manchester House, and also had the honour of meeting the renowned Pierre Koffmann.

Nigel Crane, managing director of Essential Cuisine, explained: "The competition serves as a timely reminder that supreme cooking talent in the North West of England is alive and kicking. I urge chefs, 23 or under, who value their place at the pass and feel they want to learn and grow in the spotlight of competition, to sign up today."

Last year's winner, Danny Young from Accrington, a chef at Nigel Haworth's reputed Northcote, wowed the judges with a "well researched" and "sublimely constructed" menu of local and seasonal produce.

For further information on the next North West Young Chef of the Year competition, call Lucy on 01606 541490 and follow on Twitter Tweets by NWYoungChefComp .