A CELEBRITY chef revealed he is planning to open a restaurant in his native North Wales because he says the produce here is the best.

The news came during a cookery demonstration by Bryn Williams at the Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham.

Williams, who runs Odette’s restaurant in London, delighted his audience with a recipe of lemon sole with cockles, bacon and samphire.

The visit was organised to coincide with Wrexham Food and Drink Festival.

The 35-year-old, who shot to fame in the first series of the BBC TV show, Great British Menu, signed books at the festival on Saturday before the demonstration.

He said: “All the lamb, pork and beef we use in Odette’s comes from Denbigh and we get all our cheese from Carmarthenshire.

“I’d say 60 per cent of all the produce we use is Welsh.

“That’s one of the reasons why I’d like to open a restaurant in North Wales – to showcase Welsh produce.

“However, I don’t use ingredients simply because they are Welsh. I use produce because it’s the best I can find and for no other reason.”

He added: “I am on the lookout for a suitable premises here in North Wales but it’s got to be the right place. I can’t let my heart make decisions. It has to be my head.”

Kaye Walker, head of marketing at Jones Lang LaSalle, which manages Eagles Meadow, said Saturday’s event had proved very popular.

She said: “We have enjoyed a wonderful day here and we have raised a considerable sum of money for Nightingale House Hospice too.”