An amateur chef is flying the flag for Kent.

John Pearce is part of a four-man team battling it out in the kitchen on ITV1 show Taste the Nation.

The show pits county against county as amateur cooks battle it out to win the Taste the Nation Cup using local produce.

A celebrity chef manages and mentors each team of four contestants; three of these will be chosen to be in the first cook-off while the remaining one will compete in one of the later rounds.

A panel of judges decides which teams step up to the mark and deserve to cook on to the final rounds. The judges are Waitrose Food Illustrated editor William Sitwell, regional food expert Henrietta Green, and award-winning food journalist and broadcaster Richard Johnson.

Mr Pearce, 32 was joined on the Kent team by Patricia Brook, from Eltham, Izzy McKay, from Dover, and Tommy Ferguson, from Bearsted. They were mentored by celebrity chef Ed Baines.

Chosen

They are already through to the quarter-finals of the competition, to be aired on Wednesday, April 15, having beaten teams from West Yorkshire and Gloucestershire and cooked oysters, Dover sole and Kentish cherry batter pudding.

Embalmer Mr Pearce, who works with Hogbens funeral directors, said: “We all applied individually and were chosen to represent the Kent team. None of us knew each other until we met up for the first show.

“It was great fun filming and being able to work with a celebrity chef. I’m not a chef, I just love cooking and watch all the cooking shows.”

Iwade resident Mr Pearce, who is married to Charlotte, 32, says his favourite dish is slow-roasted belly of pork but his favourite Kentish dish is whelks. He said: “I’m a big fan of Kent produce and am passionate about supporting our local farms and shops.”

The show was filmed in January and he is keeping tight-lipped about where the team finished, but says he had the time of his life filming it.

He said: “It was a fantastic experience.”