If CUMBRIA ever had any doubts about its culinary supremacy in the North West, its recent success in two prestigious young chef competitions illustrates the county is well ahead of the game when it comes to providing fantastic food.

Building on the success of Kendal College student Scott Littlewood, who won the North West Student Chef of the Year competition in June, Martin Holmes, a young chef at the Lakeside Hotel, Newby Bridge, has now achieved the ultimate accolade of North West Young Chef of the Year 2004'.

Both competitions were organised by North West Fine Foods, the regional food promotion agency. This latest competition saw five regional finalists perform in front of judges including Steven Doherty, of the Punchbowl Inn, at Crosthwaite; Master Chef Brian Mellor; and Paul Askew, from the Hope Street Hotel, Liverpool.

Martin has been tutored by Duncan Collinge, the Lakeside's executive chef and recently-appointed Cumbria Tourist Board ambassador for food'.

The young chef won the day with a mouth-watering menu of West Coast crab risotto with avocado ice cream and chilli cappuccino, followed by line-caught Barrow sea bass, and finished off with Lyth Valley damson and chocolate fondant with damson beer and cinnamon foam.

"My mum was a great home cook and she brought us up on good hearty meals which made the very best use of local produce," said Martin. "She was a major inspiration to me as is my head chef Duncan Collinge. I also really enjoy the way Gordon Ramsay cooks, and I try to inject some of his precision and passion into my cooking."

As part of his prize, Martin will spend a week in Rick Stein's kitchens in Padstow, and will get to visit London's famous Borough Market as well as restaurants such as Jamie Oliver's Fifteen and Gordon Ramsay's eatery at Claridges.

GORDON Ramsay was back at Ambleside's Glass House eatery filming a follow-up for his Kitchen Nightmares series for Channel 4 which is expected to air just before Christmas. Saturday night's customers told proprietor Neil Farrell that they had had a fantastic evening. After his last run-in with Ramsay, however, Mr Farrell said: "I am very sceptical about what will happen in the editing room."