Ashley McCarthy, winner of the Chef of the Year title, is no stranger to working flat out in a commercial kitchen. After all, he has been cooking food professionally all his working life.
Now running Ye Old Sun Inn in the village of Colton, a few miles south west of the city of York with his wife Kelly, Ashley first got cracking in the kitchen after leaving school, doing his City & Guilds and getting a job in a country pub in Pickering, North Yorkshire.
Stints as first assistant then head chef at a couple of country inns were followed by a period at the Tom Cobleigh pub group, before going into teaching kitchen skills at a number of colleges.
But while passing on his knowledge and skills to the next generation of chefs was a satisfying pursuit, Ashley wanted to get stuck into his own business, to be able to illustrate what he could do through his culinary expertise.
The chance came when he took over Ye Old Sun Inn, an Enterprise Inns-leased pub, four years ago. And, as he says, "then the work began".
That work has involved striving to "lift the pub to new heights". However, building a reputation for great food has not come at the expense of the traditional aspects of the pub, aspects which the chef holds dear.
"We have encouraged drinkers back into
the pub," he says, noting that being part
of village life has helped build and sustain
business.
Living in the countryside means Ashley has access to some great produce to go into his menu, while getting involved with local food groups as well as the York Food Festival has worked wonders in driving trade.
And although local custom is the bedrock of his trade, Ashley appreciates the growing number of tourists who, having sated
themselves with the culture of nearby
York, appear on the pub's doorstep ready for a bowl of freshly made nettle soup or one of Ashley's other great dishes, such as bream and scallop tart or Colton rabbit pie
with pancetta.
Raw ingredients come from a range of local suppliers, as well as the pub's own garden, which provides numerous varieties of tasty vegetables and herbs - and a healthy supply of nettles for the aforementioned soup!
Having installed a smoker for the various meats he buys, Ashley established a delicatessen next to the pub three years ago, selling produce from local farms and suppliers - a move which earned the pub the Innovation of the Year award in the following year's Publican Pub Food Awards.
Ashley encourages customers further by hosting monthly cookery demonstrations, and support for events like this have convinced him the demand for good, home-cooked food using the best ingredients can only go from strength to strength.
And as the judges noted in their award commendation, his "culinary flair means the pub's innovation and consistent development in producing high-quality dishes mark him out as a winner". Enough said.