A WYE Valley chef will be looking to cook up a storm in the final stages of a top television cookery competition, after winning through the regional heat.

Chris Harrod of The Whitebrook near Monmouth secured victory in the Wales regional final of BBC2’s Great British Menu, with maximum points for his ‘Everything But The Squeal’ pork dish, with all four judges hailing his ‘exceptional’ food.

This year’s contest, involving 24 of the nation’s top chefs in eight regional heats, is paying tribute to 70 years of the NHS, with the top four chefs from the final set to serve up one course of a culinary feast at a celebratory banquet.

In his heat screened earlier this month, Chis devoted his creative take on ’Tea and Cake’ for dessert to the midwives of Nevill Hall hospital in Abergavenny, where daughter Molly was born.

TV chef Andi Oliver, food critic Matthew Fort and restaurateur Oliver Peyton were joined on the judging panel by Aneira Thomas, the first baby born on the NHS, who is named in tribute to the service’s founder Aneurin Bevan and who went on to dedicate her working life to the service.

This year’s competition will also see a champion of champions crowned after diners vote on the banquet courses.

Chris opened The Whitebrook restaurant with rooms in 2013, and achieved his Michelin Star within a year of launching.

Prior to that, he worked in some of the nation’s most famous restaurants, including with his childhood hero Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir.

Chris, who is known for spicing up his dishes with foraged ingredients, said he wants to celebrate Monmouthshire’s produce with his dishes, using such herbs as woodruff and mugwort gathered by Chepstow forager Henry Ashby.

Catch up with the episides involving Chris at www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b0071y6r