A YOUNG Abergavenny chef will be showing off his cooking skills in front of a live audience in his home town.

Danny Iles, 16, from Mount Road, was thrilled when he was awarded third place in the UK finals of Rotary Young Chef of the Year 2003 after winning the Welsh heat.

And following his success last year, he has been invited to take part in the town's annual food festival in September, working alongside Michelin star chef Stephen Terry.

"I'm really looking forward to it," said Danny, a pupil at King Henry VIII Comprehensive, who has been cooking since the age of ten.

"Steve has helped me a lot and we will be working on a recipe together for the show."

The young chef impressed judges last year with a recipe that included a three-cheese ravioli and home-made pasta.

Although, he confessed, it was a meal that his family became very familiar with in the run-up to the competition.

"We did tend to have the same meal every night as I got my practice in!" Danny has not had any formal training, but has always had a passion for experimenting with food.

"I invite friends round and cook them meals," he said. "People occasionally pay me to go to their home and cook for them."

* Danny and Stephen will be appearing in the Market Hall, Abergavenny, at 3pm on Sunday, September 19.