On a plate: Tm Nelmes. Chef and landlord of the Tall Ship pub in Gloucester. Who has reached the national final of a pub food challenge.

Tim Nelmes, master chef and landlord of the Tall Ship pub in Gloucester, has reached the national final of the Great British Pub and Restaurant Challenge.

Crazy about cooking since the age of 12, Tim prefers to stay in the kitchen while his wife Pat runs the bar and restaurant at the pub in Southgate Street.

But the 43-year-old showed he could stand the heat of competition by delighting the judges with a sumptuous two-course meal in just 45 minutes to become South West champion.

Tim's starter of warm salad courgettes, petit pois and broad beans and lime marinaded scallops was followed by a main course of wild mushroom and spinach risotto on a cherry tomato, pea and lentil cassoulet in a chive butter sauce.

The vegetable theme was dwon to competition sponsors The Processed Vegetables Growers Association (PVGA), which suited Tim down to the ground.

“It's easier for everything to go wrong when you're meat, so I prefer cooking vegetables and fish,” he said. “This competition just shows there is more to pub food than steak and kidney pies.”