A TOP chef from Wallace's Farm Shop and Restaurant in Hemyock is hoping to cook up an award-winning feast in the finals of the South West Professional Chef of the Year contest.

Ian Webber, 32, has got through to the last round of the competition and will be cranking up the heat on Saturday when he enters the cook-off against the two other finalists at Exeter College.

Mr Webber will be preparing a two-course meal featuring some of the area's finest produce and meat for some of the best chefs in the country who will be judging the contest.

He will have an hour-and-a-half to show off his skills and present the two courses to the judges to try and clinch the title of the West Country's best up-and-coming culinary talent.

He said: "I'm very excited about it. It's a great opportunity for me. All I can do is my best and I'll be happy if I can produce the food I can normally."

The starter he will be preparing on the day is Dorset crab with carrot, apple and tarragon, followed by venison, fresh from Wallace's farm, served with butternut squash, smoked paprika and winter savoury.

Mr Webber has been at Wallace's Farm Shop and Restaurant at Hill Farm for two months now and is already very popular with guests.

Staff at Wallace's believe he has a good change of winning the Taste of the West Competition. Mr Webber, from Honiton, trained at Combe House in Gittisham and has worked at four and five star restaurants around the country as well as in France, Switzerland and Ireland.

He said: "One of the reasons I came back here was to get back to rural ingredients and rustic dishes."

Mr Webber will begin the cook-off at 1pm and should find out whether he has won at around 4pm.