A self-taught chef from Oxford has been cooking up a storm in a contest to find Gary Rhodes' Local Food Hero 2006 in the UK.

William Pouget, who runs the Vaults and Garden Cafe in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, in High Street, is one of eight people in the South East regional finals.

If he makes it to the next stage, he will be in the running be crowned Britain's ultimate food champion in the final on December 1 The title also carried with it a prize of £40,000.

Mr Pouget, 31, who also owns Alpha Bar in the Covered Market, admitted: "I've never been a chef before, I've never been trained as a chef, I've never worked anywhere else.

"When I opened Alpha that was my apprenticeship.

I'm flattered we have gone so far with it in the Local Food Heroes contest.

"I have not been worrying too much about the finals.

"It is all good exposure but I'm not doing it for that.

"I'm not someone who wants to be a celebrity."

The Vaults is renowned in the city for using natural, organic, locally sourced, seasonal ingredients - which Mr Pouget believes is vital for good health.

He said: "If people eat healthy food, which is better for animals and the environment, it's better all round.

"Locally sourced vegetables and seasonal ingredients create a community of culture with suppliers.

"It's like an extended village."

The Local Food Heroes 2006 competition is being televised and will be shown as part of an 11-part TV series on UKTV Food, hosted by celebrity chef Mr Rhodes.

The show, which starts on November 20, also stars chefs and fellow judges Oliver Rowe and Rosemary Shrager, who recently appeared in the ITV programme Ladette to Lady.

Each region of the country will have its own programme, following celebrity food scouts including Paul Rankin and Edwina Currie as they search to uncover the top eight contenders for the title of Local Food Hero.

The regional finalists were whittled down from thousands of nominations, chosen through a combination of public votes and input from the celebrity food scouts.