Nigel Haworth will represent the north of England in the finals of the Great British Menu next week.

The Michelin-starred restaurateur, 50, is competing against chefs from the rest of the UK to win the honour of cooking at a star-studded evening at the 'Gherkin' building in London.

Nigel, owner of Northcote Manor in Langho, near Clitheroe, triumphed over some of the North's top talents to win a place on the final of the BBC2 show.

He will battle it out against Jason Atherton, Danny Millar, Stephen Terry, Tom Kitchin and Glyn Purnell.

He said: "My aim was always to go for the final and it would be great to get one of my dishes onto the menu at the Gherkin.

"This has been a highlight of my career and will hopefully bring more visitors to Lancashire and the Ribble Valley, as well as showcasing local producers."

Nigel studied catering at college in Accrington before moving to the south of England and Switzerland.

He returned to Lancashire in 1984 and after a stint as a lecturer and was offered the post of head chef at Northcote Manor.

The chef and his business partners worked hard to turn it from a rundown restaurant to one of the best eateries in the county.

His reputation was assured when he won the 1995 Egon Ronay chef of the year award.

But his path to the final has not been smooth.

His dessert of Lancashire curd tart with rose petal cream and redcurrants was panned by the judges, so Nigel ditched it in favour of rhubarb and custard crumble.

He added: "It was the wrong dish for the show so I replaced it with another which hopefully will go down well with the judges."

The final of Great British Menu will be broadcast on BBC Two at 6pm from Monday May 19, with the winner announced on the following Friday.

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