A SOMERSET chef is one of 33 semi-finalists in a NATIONAL cooking competition.

Tim Zekki, chef patron at Duende in Wiveliscombe, has reached the semi-finals of the National Chef of the Year competition.

He created a three course menu which impressed Michelin-star chef, and member of the judging panel, Paul Ainsworth.

Tim was asked to create a menu telling his story of the pandemic through food.

The menus had to include a vegetarian starter incorporating ingredients on the KNORR® Future 50 Foods list (ingredients which have been identified as having a positive impact on the environment).

The main course focused on supporting land and sea British suppliers, with a dish incorporating both meat and fish.

To get through to the final, chefs were asked to sum up up their pandemic year of 2020-2021 in just two to three bites, and Tim has already created a small signature dish to fit this brief.

The National Chef of the Year competition launched in 1972. Previous winners have included Gordon Ramsay.

Tim is one of 33 chefs in the semi-finals, and the top ten chefs will be revealed live on the Craft Guild of Chefs Instagram channel on Thursday, August 12.

The winners will be revealed by Paul Ainsworth and organiser of the competition, David Mulcahy.