A talented pub chef from Ealing has been shortlisted as one of four national finalists in the Parliamentary Pub Chef of the Year's under 30s category.
The prestigious award, in its second year, has been seeking nominations from MPs across the country in search of the most skilled and talented pub chefs.
Ben Morgan, of The Plough Inn in Ealing, was nominated by Ealing and Southall MP Virendra Sharma and was shortlisted by a panel considering more than 130 nominations.
Eight finalists, four from the Parliamentary Pub Chef and four from the Young Parliamentary Pub Chef categories, will battle it out for the national title in a cook-off on January 24.
Bottoms up!
The event at Hospitality House will involve the finalists cooking for judges before the winners are announced at a ceremony in the House of Commons on February 7.
Speaking ahead of the finals, Mr Morgan said: “I am very excited to be put through to the final four of the competition.
“It's a privilege to represent The Plough Inn and Fuller's as a pub company and what Fuller's food stands for.”
MP Virendra Sharma added: “The Plough is a fantastic pub and I am not in the least bit surprised that Ben has been chosen to participate in the Big Cook-Off in January.
“Myself, his team and the local community are behind him 100%, wishing him the very best of luck.”
The panel of judges this year included Andrej Prokes, executive chef at Nestle Professional, Kate Hempsall, consultant to the beer and pub trade, Dawn Redman, director at Hospitality Jobs UK and Paul Dickenson, director of food at Fuller's.
Judge Andrej Prokes said: "The standard of entries for this year's competition was extremely high.
“I was really impressed with the quality and attention to detail shown by the nominees.
“The finalists can already be really proud of what they've achieved and I am excited to sample their work in the cook-off."
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