Darrell Blenkinsop will head up the kitchen at the Village Hotel's formal restaurant, Verve Oven and Grill, with a wealth of experience.

The 33-year-old completed his catering training 17 years ago at Thomas Danby College and then he went on to train as a sous chef at Bradford's Norfolk Gardens Stakis Hotel.

Darrell is excited about the challenge that lays ahead of him and said: "Food is a real passion of mine which I think should be a hallmark of every chef. Working with an established hotel brand like Village is exciting and allows you to work with all different types of high quality ingredients to create dishes that meet a variety of customer tastes.

"We use locally sourced ingredients to create exciting dishes featuring influences from across the globe and that is very rewarding."

Chris Hartley, general manager said: "A good chef is the linchpin of any hotel and we are very proud to have an experienced chef like Darrell on board. It is a very hard working role but also an extremely rewarding one."