A WORCESTERSHIRE chef who is the only woman to reach the final of a cooking contest says, “it is great to represent the women.”

Olivia Burt, 24, who attended Abberley Hall School, has made it to the final of The Roux Scholarship.

The Roux Scholarship is a competition that allows contestants between the age of 22 to 30 to submit their own food recipe, while judges select 18 candidates from across the United Kingdom to battle it out at the regional final.

Of those contestants, six are placed as finalists for a cook-off event held in London, on April 1.

Speaking about her achievements and making it to the final, Olivia said: “It feels very special. There is a lack of women in the industry – it is very male dominated for some reason. It is great to represent the women in this competition.

“It is so nerve wracking thinking about the final. There will be some seriously famous judges. I think when you are nervous it affects the way you cook. The final is a mystery – nobody knows what we will be doing.”

Olivia says commitment and hard-work is the key to pursuing a career in the industry, adding: “Becoming a chef takes up a lot of time in your life. It is vital to find a kitchen that allows you to grow. If you are not learning anything, you need to move to another restaurant.”

Olivia’s inspiration has come from Daniel Humm, a Swiss chef and co-owner of the restaurant Eleven Madison Park, in New York.

She added: “His food is just perfect. He has been my inspiration since I began my training.”

Olivia, who has been in the food industry for five years, spent two years at a culinary school in Paris where she studied at the Le Cordon Bleu, a French hospitality education institution.

Olivia said: “Paris is the culinary capital of the world. It was an amazing experience and a different sort of work experience to London. I believe if you want to make it in this industry, you should go to Paris for the experience - although London is a real food capital now.

“I always loved cooking for fun at a young age. I was confused how to make a career out of it, so my trip to France helped and made me realise it was truly what I want to do. I absolutely love my job and everything about it.”

Olivia has been living in London for three years and works as a Sous Chef in the kitchen at Claridge’s, a 5-star hotel.

Her style of cooking is “classic British, but with a French twist”, while her favourite dish to make is Lobster Wellington.

Olivia aims to open her own modern English restaurant in London within five years.

The competition, which has been running for more than 30 years, is judged by Michel Roux Junior (BBC Saturday Kitchen, Kitchen Impossible, Masterchef), Brian Turner (BBC's Ready, Steady, Cook) and James Martin (BBC Saturday Kitchen, This Morning and Saturday Morning with James Martin) among many other Michelin-starred chefs.

The finalists will be given a recipe and ingredients for a main dish, either classic or modern, and will be given three hours to prepare and present it to the judges.