Oswestry chef Jack is no flash in the pan

Jack Hatley, from Oswestry, the head chef at Gales of Llangollen, will be one of the star attractions at Hamper Llangollen, one of the highlights of the UK's culinary calendar.

He will demonstrate his butchery skills at the two-day festival which will see thousands of foodies flocking to the town over the weekend of October 15 and 16.

Jack also teaches lessons regularly at cookery shop Upstairs Downstairs, in Oswestry.

Joining him on the demonstration stage will be his friend and colleague Yossi Gliksman, who runs a cookery school above his shop in Oswestry.

It was during the year that 31-year-old Jack spent as demi chef de partie in the kitchens of the Chester Grosvenor Hotel that he cooked for some of the five star hotel's celebrity guests.

He said: "I remember preparing dishes for people like The Smiths singer Morrissey and the golfer Nick Faldo, which was a thrill for me.

"Later I moved on to become chef de partie at another large restaurant in Chester where I cooked for the late Wales manager Gary Speed on one occasion.

"He was a fantastic person who not only bought a bottle of wine for myself and my colleagues in the kitchen to say thanks for the meal but also stayed to have a drink with us."

Jack landed his first head chef position at the Golden Pheasant restaurant – now renamed the Mulberry – in the Ceiriog Valley. After a couple of years in that job he took on a similar role at the Navigation Inn pub in Oswestry and earlier this year moved to run the kitchen at Gales Wine Bar.

He added: "I'm really enjoying being head chef at Gales where we've adopted the new small plate concept, which means that, instead of starters and mains, you can if you wish have small or large portions of different items on the menu.

"I also do my own butchery at Gales, which is what I'll be aiming to demonstrate at Hamper Llangollen.

"Although I've previously done demonstrations at food festivals like Oswestry, this will be the first time I've appeared at Hamper Llangollen."