A CHEF from a Michelin-starred Cartmel restaurant will be going head-to-head with regional finalists in a prestigious cookery competition.

Senior Chef de Partie at Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume, Ben Champkin, made it through to the regional finals of the Roux Scholarship and will compete in the cook-off in Birmingham today (Thursday).

The 23-year-old will be competing against 17 other regional finalists in the hopes of securing one of six places in the final.

Competitors will be presented with two challenges. The first is to create a recipe to serve four people using one whole fresh pollock and 600g of live whole cockles.

The dish must be accompanied by two garnishes, one of which must include button mushrooms and can be a garnish of the chef's choosing.

Competitors will have two and a half hours to cook their dish, along with a dessert from a mystery box of ingredients given to them on the day.

Ben, who lives in Grange-over-Sands, said: “It’s very nerve-wracking because I’ve had a chance to practise my pollock dish but the dessert will be a complete surprise on the day.”

If Ben makes it through to the final round in London, he could be the second L'Enclume chef to claim the crown.

In 2014 Tom Barnes scooped the title with high praise from the Roux family - including the renowned Michel, Michel Jnr, Albert and Alain.

Originally from Sherborne in Dorset, Ben worked at The Elephant restaurant in Torquay before moving to Cumbria to work at L’Enclume in June 2014.

Set up by Michel and Albert Roux in 1984, Michel Roux Jr and Alain Roux now run the Rox Scholarship competition.

They will be joined by six other world-class chefs including Brian Turner, Andrew Fairlie, and James Martin, of the BBC show Saturday Kitchen.