An Aberystwyth chef’s success in a BBC cooking competition has provided a “lovely confidence boost” for the venue he works for, as it reopens its doors.

Nathan Davies, 30, is the head chef at SY23 in Aberystwyth and took part in the culinary competition, Great British Menu, which is airing on BBC Two.

Four chefs from Wales, including Nathan, entered Great British Menu, but only one was chosen to compete in the national final for the chance to cater a course at a special banquet.

Nathan put Aber on the map, beating two of the other Welsh competitors, and scoring the highest marks in the first round. But he was pipped to the post by Hywel Griffith, who was chosen by the judges to compete in the national final.

Nathan said: “It was just really nice to cook alongside and share the kitchen with the other chefs. I’ve worked in Michelin Star restaurants and I was lucky to work at Ynys Hir. But we don’t have any accolades or awards yet here.

“What we do at SY23 is very different to what they do, for example cooking on fire. So it was great to bring something unique to the competition.”

Nathan said he was keen to “do the local community proud” as he and SY23 owner Mark Phillips have enjoyed continuous community support since setting up the restaurant in December 2019.

“We had outstanding support from the community already and that’s what we took with us. There’s not many people who have popped up out of the woodwork now, we were fortunate to have really good local custom before. We felt, when I went to do the competition, we wanted to do the community proud for supporting us during our new venture.

“Whether somebody goes on there and beats our score from Wales, I will still be the first person to go from Aberystwyth and nobody can take that away from us.”

Nathan also thanked local businesses, such as Rob Rattray butchers and Jonah’s fishmongers, for providing “really special” local produce for the show.

“Every single plate we made had something from Aberystwyth. Without people from the local area producing such good food, there was no way we would have done so well in the competition.”

Nathan hopes his time on the show will bring more business to Aberystwyth as a whole.

“We have had a lot of people who are willing to travel to eat at the restaurant after watching it,” he said. “It’s good for us at SY23 but it’s also good for the local community. They’re staying in hotels, guest houses, making a weekend of it.

“The food scene in Aberystwyth is still developing, it’s by no means the finished article. With us here, and Ynys Hir down the road, we hope it might encourage others to open restaurants here.”