A YOUNG Oswestry chef was among those waved off by a Welsh government minister before heading to Germany for a culinary Olympics.

James Jarvis works for Sebastians in Willow Street, and he was included in a Welsh junior team of chefs who will compete for the The Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) at the KA Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart between February 14-19.

Lesley Griffiths, Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, hosted a reception at the Senedd in Cardiff on Wednesday morning to pass on the nation’s best wishes to the senior and junior teams, and she was delighted to play her part.

“I was delighted to host this Senedd send-off event and give fellow AMs the chance to join me in wishing our two teams of highly skilled chefs the very best of luck during the prestigious IKA Culinary Olympics," she said.

"I am sure the judges can’t fail to be wowed by the culinary talents of both our junior and senior teams.

“This event also provides the perfect platform to attract the support of national culinary associations as we bid to bring the Worldchefs Congress and Expo to Wales in 2024.

“We are really gaining a reputation as a food and drink nation – as proven by the recent figures which show last year, we smashed our ambitious industry target of achieving £7 billion turnover.

"Winning the bid to host such a high-profile event in Wales would provide a further boost for our thriving food and drink industry.”

CAW president Arwyn Watkins, OBE, said: “It’s a huge accolade for the Culinary Association of Wales to be invited by the Minister to give the two teams a Senedd send-off to the Culinary Olympics.

"It’s also an opportunity to highlight all the good work done by our members as real ambassadors for Wales on the international stage.

"I shall be spending the majority of my time at the Culinary Olympics lobbying fellow presidents of Worldchefs member countries to vote for Wales.”

Both teams will cook a three-course menu in the 'Restaurant of Nations' element of the competition and then produce a range of dishes for a chef’s edible buffet, newly introduced this year.

The senior team presents its chef’s edible buffet on February 16 and its Restaurant of Nations menu on February 18. The junior team delivers its 'Restaurant of Nations' menu for 60 covers on February 15 and its chef’s edible buffet on February 17.