A Darlington chef has beaten thousands of people to take part in a prestigious cooking competition final.

Syed Shany Ahmed of Bombay Gate will compete at the final of the Tommy Miah's International Indian Chef awards in Birmingham later this month.

He has beaten worldwide competition with over 2,000 applicants slowly whittled down to just eight finalists.

On September 29, they will perform before a global audience at the Birmingham final from 9am until 12pm.

An elite panel of judges will declare a winner but even making it to the final is an incredible achievement.

Mr Ahmed described how he hoped people in Darlington would "keep their fingers crossed" for him.

Earlier this year he became international Masterchef champion in Bangladesh and he hopes to continue his winning ways.

He said: "This year has been a bit of a rollercoaster. I won Masterchef in February, we went to Bangladesh and won.

"That was incredible. 

"There were 2,000 applicants for this one (Tommy Miah's International Indian Chef awards). There has been a long waiting list to process all the menus.

"We have had secret customers coming in and tasting the food.

"They look at food hygiene too. Everything was taken into consideration.

"Three months ago we had to present a tasting menu. 

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"It was only on Saturday that I got the letter saying I made it to the final eight.

"It's very exciting. This has been one of my goals since I became a chef. 

"It's a big thing for me and it shows I'm on the right path. I hope people in Darlington keep their fingers crossed for me."