A young Oswestry chef set to represent Wales at a 'culinary World Cup' in Germany next month has the potential to be the best, according to his Oswestry restaurant boss.

James Jarvis, who works for Sebastians in Willow Street, is part of a junior team of chefs flying the Welsh flag as they take on the best in the world at the prestigious IKA Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart between February 14-19.

Mark Sebastian, patron at Sebastians, admitted the team at the restaurant were very proud of James and he fully expects him to end up as a top chef because of the dedication to his work.

"James is a great asset to the team," said Mark.

"It's nice to have someone there with new ideas as sometimes cooking can be fairly standard.

"It's good that we have a chef who is both intelligent and also wants to be a chef.

"We're definitely very proud of him – I think he will be with me until July as he'll be coming to the end of his qualification as the quickest time he can do it is a year, and he started last July.

"I think he can go onto great things. It's up to him about where he wants to go, whether it's London but they are the best places to learn.

"He's a very dedicated chef – we're honoured to have him. In our time here, we've had five or six great chefs and he's at the top of that list."

The junior team, captained by Callum Smith, The Lion and Pheasant, Shrewsbury, includes pastry chef Alys Evans, Llanerch Vineyard, Pontyclun, Dalton Weir, Home from Home, Llandudno, Morgan Read, Brook House Mill, Denbigh, Lara Walker, Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Alice Yeomans, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Great Milton, Oxford and James.

The talented young chefs complete their Restaurant of Nations menu run through with a lunch at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, Rhos-on-Sea on Tuesday, January 28. They put the final touches to their dishes and the chef’s edible buffet at a training bootcamp this week.

Junior team manager Michael Kirkham-Evans added: “The junior team is better prepared that we have ever been.

“Our Restaurant of Nations menu is packed with flavour and requires lots of different skills from the chefs. With 50 per cent of the hot kitchen marks awarded for flavour, we are hoping to score well for taste.”

At the Culinary Olympics, the junior team delivers its Restaurant of Nations menu for 60 covers on February 15 and its chef’s edible buffet on February 17.