AN American in Bolton is cooking up a stir in culinary circles.

Robert Caton, 24, from San Francisco is studying at Bolton College and was only narrowly beaten to the title of Commis of the Year at the North West Association Culinaire Francaise de Secours Mutuel competition.

Robert, who is staying with his aunt and uncle in Bolton, was competing against students from seven other colleges, preparing, cooking and serving a three-course meal for four in under two-and-a-half hours.

His winning menu consisted of Minestrone soup served with toasted flutes, shallow fried fillets of plaice on a potato, celeriac and spinach rosti with a herb butter sauce and pears poached in red wine, stuffed with hazelnut cream served with raspberry coulis.

Before coming to Bolton, Robert worked in a restaurant in America. He said: "I really like it over here. People are more relaxed and there is not as much stress. It was the first competition I had gone in for but I wasn't too nervous."

Robert's tutor Paul Durrant, said: "This was the closest that one of our students has ever come to winning the gold medal - there was only half a point in it. Robert excelled himself on the day. He has a great future ahead of him."

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