A BOLTON born globetrotting chef said he was thrilled to be recognised in his home town.

Michael Harrison’s Chef to Go business was declared the winner in the We’re Backing Bolton/Bury category.

Mr Harrison is a well known face inaround the town, having been a regular at the Bolton Food and Drink Festival, and he has also travelled the world to showcase his culinary skills.

He grew up in Bolton and completed his City and Guilds qualification at Bolton College, before spending a number of years abroad.

After returning to Bolton he set up his first restaurant, Michael’s, which was open for four years and was a huge success.

Mr Harrison established his current business in 2014, with the help of another local chef, John Wilkinson.

It provides private dining, outside catering, events and consultancy for a wide client range, and is also part of Bolton Artisan Markets.

Mr Harrison said: “I was shaking! I didn’t expect it at all.

“I am passionate about Bolton. I used to have a restaurant here years ago, it's where you come from, it’s your roots. You can’t forget where you come from.”

Mr Harrison is also chairman of the Food and Drink Board at the Octagon Theatre, and is heavily involved in the organisation of the Bolton Food and Drink Festival, which boasted record visitor numbers this year.

He said: “The food festival was absolutely fantastic. I go all over the world, I have cooked in Abu Dhabi and all over the place with a lot of top chefs, but the one thing that I won’t miss every year is the food festival."

“I had the opportunity of going abroad during this year’s event but I wasn’t going to do that.”