Chef Hywel Griffith, who grew up in Bethesda and attended Coleg Menai in Bangor, will represent Wales in the final of the Great British Menu.
The BBC television series, now in its 15th series, sees top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four course banquet.
Welsh speaker Hywel honed his craft at Coleg Menai before graduating to the Lanesborough Hotel in London and The Chester Grosvenor before returning to Wales as Sous Chef at Ynyshir Hall. During his time there the restaurant achieved three Rosettes and a Michelin star.
Hywel opened his own restaurant Beach House in Oxwich Bay on the Gower Peninsula in 2016 which has won several awards including a Michelin star.
Hywel’s cooking style is modern Welsh and champions all Welsh produce. For his menu in the competition he draws on regional children’s authors and Welsh folklore for inspiration.
Four Welsh chefs battled it out last week, with the task of honouring books by Welsh authors and the legends of giants and dragons.
The chefs needed to impress the formidable judges – food writer Matthew Fort, restaurateur Oliver Peyton and broadcaster and cook Andi Oliver – as well as a guest judge Filch from the Harry Potter films – actor David Bradley – who helped them decide the chef going through to represent Wales in the national finals.
The judges were impressed with Hywel’s Leek, potato and Welsh truffle, a medieval banquet to celebrate King Arthur and consisting of a peacock pie and a desert of a ‘Golden Egg’ Willy Wonka, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Hywel said: “Representing Wales as a patriotic Welshman is as good as it gets.”
