YEARS of hard work have paid off for a talented chef from the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport who is the new National Chef of Wales.

Simon Crockford, whose family home is in Tenby, cooked his way to the coveted title after a closely contested final on the last day of the Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC) held at Coleg Llandrillo, Rhos on Sea, last Thursday.

A member of the Culinary Team Wales, he held off a strong challenge from five rival chefs, including Welsh teammate Jason Hughes, to collect the trophy.

In addition to title, he secured an all expenses paid, one week culinary trip to the Netherlands courtesy of Koppertcress, which includes an ‘inspirational day’ with a cress coach and visits to top restaurants, a set of knives courtesy of Dick Knives, £250 worth of products from Churchill China and Gourmet Classic shopping vouchers.

He will also represent Wales in the UK National Chef of the Year contest and the World Chefs’ Global Chef European semi-final in October.

His winning menu opened with scorched mackerel and cured Swansea Bay sauce, rice, pickled beetroot, apple, salted cucumber, horseradish salad cream and sea herbs. Main course was Pembrokeshire free range chicken, sage, onion spelt, red cabbage puree, mushroom espuma, Halen Mon salted herb faggot, charred sweetcorn and chicken jus.

Dessert was Carmarthenshire Nomnom chocolate mousse, peanut butter, shortbread caramel ganache, banana parfait and chocolate soil.

“The final was a lot tougher than what I thought it would be,” said Simon. “I work in probably the biggest resort in Europe, but that was the hardest three hours I have ever done and I honestly didn’t think I would be holding the trophy.

“I have been competing with the Culinary Team Wales for four years, have won the Battle of the Dragon and been to two Culinary Olympics, but I still have a hunger to win and this award is unbelievable. It’s a reward for a lot of hard work.”

The judges were Dragan Unic, World Chefs’ continental director for Northern Europe, Colin Gray, Stuart McLeod and Alan Shipman.