CELEBRITY chef Matt Tebbutt has backed a bid to tempt more chefs to Bournemouth.

The cook, who presents BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen, opened his restaurant Schpoons & Forx at the Hilton Bournemouth in 2015.

The business uses chefs placed by Bournemouth recruitment agency TeamJobs, which also hires for the likes of BHLive and AFC Bournemouth.

Matt said: “Bournemouth is booming and has seen huge growth in hospitality in recent years.

“However, there is a national shortage of chefs as TeamJobs can confirm.”

He added: “A career as a chef requires long hours, hard work and real commitment, but it’s also highly rewarding and offers great opportunities, especially in a buzzing place like Bournemouth.

“A good chef can quickly make a name for his or herself and climb the ranks in a kitchen.

“They can also go on to use their skills to excel in other careers, such as management and consultancy.”

Silva Bala from TeamJobs Hospitality, said: “Bournemouth’s hospitality scene is experiencing significant growth – in the last 12 months, 26 restaurants have opened in the town centre alone, with more scheduled to open over the summer and autumn.

“All these premises want chefs and as a result it is a candidates’ market.

“We could easily be placing 10 more chefs into great roles each week if we had the people, but it’s actually become a case of too few chefs spoiling the broth.”