Shropshire chef Suree Coates misses out on top prize

But Suree Coates, from The King and Thai Restaurant, in Broseley, found herself two points shy of a place in the finals.

She was one of 18 chefs who took part in the competition, held at University College, Birmingham.

They were each asked to complete three-courses, including a fish course, pork main and a dessert.

Suree made a Thai Spicy razor clam, with spicy salad, followed by Shropshire outdoor-reared pork in Asian Thai broth, mango and passion fruit cheesecake, with mango and passion fruit sorbet and a tropical fruit salsa.

She said: "I was honoured to make the competition and when I saw who I was competing against I was blown away. But I focused on my dishes and was delighted with the results and look forward to next year."

The event was organised by the British Culinary Federation and Surree was sponsored by Catering Centre UK, based at Stafford Park, Telford.

Richard Davies, mangaging director of Catering Centre UK, said: "Chef Suree is a real ambassador of Shropshire and is helping put the county on the culinary map. Making the finals of the prestigious Chef of The Year is some achievement, so we were delighted to be associated with her hard work, dedication and successes to date."