Persistence paid off for Marcus Eaves last week when he was crowned the 2004 Gordon Ramsay Scholar in his second tilt at the title.
Eaves, 23, defeated nine other young chefs at a cook-off staged at the Restaurant Show.
Competitors had to create an amuse-bouche using mackerel, a chicken main dish (but not one roasting the whole bird), a stuffed, but ungratinated, artichoke, a wild mushroom risotto and a créme caramel dessert.
Eaves is currently sous chef at the two-Michelin-starred Hibiscus in Shropshire. Second place went to Graham Walker of the Isle of Wight's George hotel, while third place was awarded to Mark Sycamore of Blanket Bay Resort in Glenorchy, New Zealand.