Deeping St James chef and former Stamford College student reaches Roux Scholarship final where dish will be judged by TV chefs Michel Roux Jr, Angela Hartnett and Brian Turner

An ambitious young chef will cook for some of Britain’s top chefs after reaching the final stages of a highly-prized competition.

Jack Cannell is one of just 18 chefs selected for next Thursday’s regional final of the Roux Scholarship

The 30-year-old will head to London and cook for an elite panel of judges, including Michel Roux Jr, Angela Hartnett and Brian Turner, all of whom are regulars on TV cookery shows.

“I’m still in shock to be honest,” he said.

“I put so much effort into the recipe but wasn’t expecting it.

“I have followed the scholarship since I was 14 or 15 and it’s been a dream of mine. I can’t believe I’ve got through at the first time of asking.”

Chefs were challenged to come up with a dish using a specific set of ingredients and then submit the recipe with a detailed list of methods, and costings, which were then blind-judged.

Regional finalists will have to cook this dish in two-and-a-half hours and come up with a dessert made from a mystery box of ingredients they will discover on the day.

The top six will then go through to the national final on April 3.

“To be cooking alongside people I’ve looked up to for 15 years is a little scary,” Jack said.

“I think I can do it if I perform on the day, 100 per cent, but obviously I’m up against a great calibre of chefs who have worked at the very top places.

“I just hope I can calm those nerves and cook the best I can on the day.”

Jack grew up in Deeping St James and went straight to Stamford College after his GCSEs to take on a diploma in food and beverage service.

“All I was interested in at school was sport and food,” he added.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be a professional footballer so thought I would give cooking a try.”

While at college, he was given a two-month work placement at the prestigious Royal Automobile Club in London.

After qualifying he worked for a year at the newly-established White Hart in Baston before heading to London to learn the ropes in a michelin-starred restaurant.

He survived the pressure cooker environment to progress from commis chef to sous chef in three-and-a-half years.

“That was one of the hardest restaurants I’ve worked in - very long hours in a very hard kitchen,” he recalled.

“Everything had to be perfect. The top chefs would check everything and if it wasn’t perfect you got a bit of a talking to.

“It was a very good experience. I stuck it out and earned my stripes.”

After moving to Devon he was given a head chef role at 25 and then took a step back to work under multiple Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines at Lympstone Manor.

He has been head chef at the Tytherleigh Arms in Axminster since 2020.