Head chef Yaan Martin at the Ring O'Bells in Thornton Yaan Martin sometimes forgets his native language. "When I go back to France it takes two or three days to get back into it, " says the Brittany-born chef who arrived in Bradford eight years ago intending to stay for a short time.

"I signed up with an agency and they found me a job in Yorkshire, " he says, taking a break from his duties as head chef at the Ring O' Bells in Hill Top Road, Thornton. "I only had a one-yearcontract."

He settled in immediately at the popular Bronte Restaurant, where he began work as chef de partie.

He has stayed put ever since, working his way up to head chef, a role he shares with Jason Howlett.

Yaan clearly loves his job. "I stayed because there is good atmosphere and the food we serve is great too. I enjoy it because it is something different every day - different tastes, different customers."

Although, he points out, 70 per cent of the restaurant's diners are regulars.

The menu - which Yaan, 35, describes as "modern European with a good English base - includes dishes such as poached prime fresh haddock gratinated with a prawn mornay sauce; roasted chicken breast stuffed with buttered leeks wrapped in smokey bacon with a white wine and mushroom sauce and an individual roasted vegetable coucous; and a sun-blushed tomato tarte tatin on a light sweet basil and tomato sauce. Specials include pineapple, sun-dried tomatoes and honey open tart and salmon and sun-dried tomatoes on a black bean stew.

"We change the a la carte quite often, and have a specials board with daily changes."

In the busy kitchen, the team of chefs work well together. "It is a good atmosphere. When I first came here the others really looked after me, " said Yaan.

He also felt immediately at home in Thornton.

"I really liked the village, it was such a friendly place, with a wonderful village atmosphere."

That feeling of belonging has stayed and today Yaan lives in the village, sharing a house with girlfriend Rachel. "It is a great community, we know so many people, " he says.

The couple met in the restaurant. "Rachel was waiting on tables and we got on really well, she still works here." At home Yaan usually cooks, fish being a popular choice for them both.

He was promoted to head chef two years ago.

One of the first people he told was his mum Gisele. "She's a chef too - that's who I inherited my love of food and cooking from, " he says.

That love obviously runs in the family - Yaan's two sisters are also chefs.

Among Yaan's achievements is being chosen as a finalist in the national PubChef Beer and Foods category in the 2006 Morning Advertiser Awards. He was one of only six chefs from across the country to be picked.

On days off, Yaan unwinds walking his dog in the countryside around Thornton. "He is only nine months old and needs a lot of exercise."