A WORCESTERSHIRE chef has managed to wow with a faultless dish on the first round of Masterchef: The Professionals.

Chef Mark Stinchcombe, one half of the culinary couple behind Eckington Manor's menus, received high praise from judges Monica Galetti, two Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing and Gregg Wallace who called his signature plate "a stonking good dish".

In the final test he was told by Galetti his breast and leg of pigeon with pistachio crust and port and red wine sauce "looked stunning" and added that her only criticism is she was going to have to share it with "these two" [judges] while Wareing said the dish looked like it had been made by a "chef which really knows his craft" adding that he was struggling to find any faults.

The 27-year-old is set to appear again on Thursday after making it through the first stage with flying colours.

Mark’s love of food began while he was still at school and he entered the kitchens of the iconic Royal Crescent in Bath, on work experience at only 16 years of age.

From there he moved on to Ston Easton Park in Somerset, where he served for two years and began to learn how to create menus by using local and seasonal produce.

At Michelin starred Driftwood in Cornwall, and under the tutelage of Chef Chris Eden, Mr Stinchcombe began to hone his fine dining chef skills before departing to ski slopes for a season.

On returning to the UK, Mr Stinchcombe undertook training stages in some of the most prestigious kitchens in the world, including The Fat Duck, Le Manoir and The Square. Following this, he started working at Lucknam Park under Chef Hywell Jones.

It was at Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham, where he stayed for two and a half years, that he added classic French cuisine to his burgeoning craft.

While at Le Champignon Sauvage, Mr Stinchcombe met his future wife and co-chef, Sue, and together they travelled to Australia, Thailand and New Zealand, on a gastronomic culinary adventure.

Together, they excite guests and visitors with their seasonal menus and recipes developed using produce from Eckington Manor’s award winning farm, orchard, vegetable and herb gardens.