A HEAD chef who has won an Employee of the Year title said it was his treatment of his team that got him recognised.

Having come from a cheffing family, with his mother first interesting him in the culinary career, Chris Gillespie has risen in the ranks to become head chef at the Mercure Kidderminster Hotel.

but not only is that an achievement for the former Bewdley High School pupil, he was recognised as Mercure's Employee of the Year 2015 last month.

Of winning the honour, out of several other people nominated from other parts of the company across the country, Mr Gillespie said: "I went up to Leicester for our company awards ceremony and I was nominated for the Employee of the Year category along with another 20-odd, and I was fortunate enough to be given he prize.

"It was a surprise. I thought it was very nice to be nominated, but I thought the nomination was as far as it was going to go and when they read out my name, I was really surprised."

The 31-year-old added hat he believes it is how he looks after his team in the kitchen that clinched him the award, saying he buys them Christmas gifts each year and supports them as much as he can all year round.

Cate Gillespie, Mr Gillespie's mother, was commended by the chef as being a huge influence on him having been a chef herself.

She said she was proud of her son for the achievement.

"I was a head cook and he had followed in my footsteps," she said. "He learned at the age of three standing on a stool and taking a lot of interest.

"I am very proud of him."

During his career and training, Mr Gillespie has worked as a beach chef in Greece and as a chalet host in Austria.