A TEENAGER from Bradford has taken the top prize in a national cooking competition.

Sam Duggan, 19, won the Café Campanile Great British Chef competition after beating two other finalists in a cook-off.

The competition was organised by Campanile Hotels, and Mr Duggan works as a chef at the Campanile Hotel in Roydsdale Way, on the Euroway Industrial Estate.

His creation of a smoked garlic and thyme leg steak impressed the judges and was enough to win his first prize.

He said: “I’ve always had a passion for food ever since I used to cook with my nan as a child but only really considered it as a career 18 months ago, so entering this competition provided me with a chance to see how much I have learned during my apprenticeship.

“The pressure was well and truly on having to create, cook and present a stand-out dish from a varied range of ingredients within a two-hour time limit, and I think if I’ve learned anything, it’s not to doubt myself so much.

“I have ambitions to become a head chef in the future and winning this competition is a massive confidence boost for me.”

Mark Aldridge, director of operations at Louvre Hotels Group UK, which owns Campanile Hotels, was part of the three person judging panel.

He added: “The final was a closely fought encounter, but Sam deserved to take home the trophy for not only the quality of food he produced, but for his calm and composed approach in a pressurised environment."