A Bermudian chef in the UK has been left beaming with pride after his culinary skills and new restaurant got featured on BBC1’s Taste of Britain show.

“I’m really proud of what we achieved in such a short space of time,” said Jahdre Hayward, who recently opened Haywards Restaurant in the Essex town of Epping with his wife Amanda.

The business has made a name for itself for providing artful, London-style modern European cuisine in a small market town.

Head chef Mr Hayward, who grew up on The Glebe Road in Pembroke and lived in Sandys before leaving the Island at age 17, has won awards in Essex for his cooking — and even got a chance to inform British viewers of some local cuisine.

Interviewed by chef Brian Turner, Mr Hayward explained the Bermudian Sunday custom of codfish and potatoes.

“I was talking about a salted cod dish and how it reminded me of being in Bermuda when I was young,” he said.

The winner of the Essex Life Chef of the Year award is up for the title again this year, and Haywards has also won a best fine dining award for Essex.

Now the chef has his heart set on winning a prestigious Michelin star for the restaurant that he and his wife opened just 18 months ago.

Although Mr Hayward said he felt nervous during the interview, which aired on Tuesday, his phone began ringing with commendations from family members in the UK and Bermuda after the show ended.

“As soon as the programme ended, my sister called to say how good we’d looked — I was very proud, very excited,” he said.

Haywards opened at the behest of his wife’s parents, Mr Hayward said, and took off after being voted one of the best in the county.

The chef, who’s been classically trained in French cuisine, traced his love of cooking back to his grandmother.

“She’d tell me to come and watch what she was doing — I ended up falling in love with being a chef. I’m 35 now and can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Mr Hayward, who prides himself on innovation, changes the range of dishes on offer to keep variety in the kitchen.

“I like to see the reaction,” he said. “There aren’t many restaurants in the area doing what we’re doing. I’ll come in one day and decide to change things and change how they look on the plate. But you also have to be consistent in what you’re doing.”

After living in the US, the UK and Australia, the chef said he’s happily settled where he is, putting in six or seven days a week in a restaurant, but would love to share his culinary knowledge back home.

“My life’s out here — our restaurant’s doing really well. But I’d love to come back and do some cooking. That would be amazing.”