DANIEL Giuliani is one hap-pea young man this week after winning a national cookery competition.

The 11-year-old from Hexham Middle School was crowned Young Pea Chef of the Year 2017 after wowing the judges with a pea, parsley and Parmesan risotto.

A panel of industry experts, including TV chef Rachel Green and representatives of competition organiser the British Growers Association and sponsors Waitrose and ProCook, sampled hundreds of entries to shortlist just 10 pea-inspired dishes.

The winner was decided in the final round, when the public were asked to vote for their favourite recipe.

In rising to the challenge of producing his own, home-grown recipe, Daniel knew he was onto a winner when he got the thumbs up from his Italian-born grandfather, Mario.

“I feel really proud and pleased I have won the secondary school category, as all the finalists entered great recipes,” he said.

“I would encourage everyone to try making my delicious pea, parsley and Parmesan risotto.”

His prize is £500 worth of equipment for his school and his recipe will be included in a recipe e-book, which will be available to download nationwide.