IT'S not often you find a 6m Premiership footballer working in the kitchen of a Gwent restaurant.

Imagine the surprise when I discovered Everton's new striker James Beattie baking the daily bread at The Foxhunter in Nantyderry near Abergavenny.

He denied it of course (to gales of protest from the waiting staff) claiming to be chef/proprietor Matt Tebbutt, but I'm not sure.

I need to sneak back on a Saturday afternoon when Everton have a match on.

Mr Tebbutt - if you buy his story - has increased his own transfer value since being re-commissioned for a second series of Food For All Seasons on ITV Wales.

The first series featured him out-and-about gathering wholesome foods from top Gwent suppliers. "It's a bit like the Rick Stein show but on a smaller budget," joked James, sorry, Matt.

The series featured a host of characters including Raoul, a mysterious Belgian living in the Wye Valley who trades under the name of The Wild One.

He supplies wild mushrooms and berries to the restaurant and he and Mr Tebbutt were featured gathering samphire and sea spinach under the Severn Bridge and winberries in Wentwood.

As the title suggests, Mr Tebbutt uses these local foods to come up with seasonal dishes for his TV viewers.

The new shows will focus on spring/summer ideas.

He said: "I didn't do it to boost my ego, but to promote the restaurant. We filmed it on Sunday and Monday when Foxhunter is closed and it became good fun - although it takes a day's work just to make a half-hour show."

The viewing figures were good and Mr Tebbutt likes the fact that it promoted many of the good things that Gwent has to offer. Although he denies it, it's a rapid rise for a man who grew up in Newport but left the area to serve an apprenticeship at some of London's top restaurants.

Three years ago he and wife Lisa (from Blackwood) returned to Gwent looking for a healthy place to raise their children and a cost-effective property to convert into a restaurant.

The Foxhunter was a down-at-heel country pub which they transformed into an elegant restaurant.

It won-over the AA which made it its Welsh restaurant of the year and has a number of other accolades.

Mr Tebbutt said: " The first two years were very hard, we missed London, missed our friends and we were dealing with a new business and the birth of our children.

"And we were certainly no overnight sensation, business was very up and down. It's hard to get up in the morning and start prep (food preparation) if nobody has booked in.

"But over the last twelve months business has grown very strongly."