HEPWORTH chef Timothy Bilton is the Yorkshire Professional Chef of the Year.

And he is on a mission to promote West Yorkshire’s finest ingredients at the Butcher’s Arms in the village.

Timothy’s dish of pan-roasted loin of Round Green Farm venison served with a little cottage pie, roasted baby vegetables and a Pontefract cake wowed judges when he took part in a cook-off at Harvey Nichols in Leeds earlier this month.

The former Huddersfield Technical College lecturer is thrilled with the accolade which is awarded by Yorkshire Life magazine and sponsored by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

“There is always a lot of publicity given to North Yorkshire and the quality of that county’s ingredients, but I think West Yorkshire’s food is often overlooked and there are some fine quality foods which can be used well in dishes,” he said.

Timothy took over the Butcher’s Arms in October and is enjoying the challenge of his first independent venture.

He trained as a commis chef for two years with Raymond Blanc in Oxfordshire between 1991 and 1993 and then worked in France for 18 months.

On his return to home shores he was a lecturer at Thomas Danby College in Leeds before joining Huddersfield Technical College where he was senior co-ordinator in hospitality for eight months.

He went from there to be head chef at Bibis restaurant in Leeds.

For the competition, chefs had to prepare, cook and finish a main course in 60 minutes using Yorkshire ingredients. Their meal plans and costings were sent in to the judges and a “mystery taster” sampled the dish later.

The accolade is the latest positive for Timothy who is thoroughly enjoying being his own boss for the first time. “It’s the best move I’ve ever made,” he said.

Timothy is married to Adele, who is a teacher of performing arts in Barnsley.