Family outings to a restaurant paved the way to a future career for Jon Davy.

Trips to a restaurant in the Hampshire town of Winchester, which he enjoyed with his parents, ignited a spark of interest.

"There was always a good atmosphere in the restaurant. The staff always seemed to be having a good time and I always wondered what went on behind the scenes," recalls Jon, who spent his childhood in Southampton. "As soon as I was old enough I applied for a job."

A stint washing pots followed, before he was allowed to try his hand at starters.

"I enjoyed helping to make new dishes, and there was a good social life to working in a busy restaurant kitchen," he says. "I thought I could make a career in the industry."

A college course was the next step up the culinary ladder for the 28-year-old, who is now second chef at the Elmwood Hotel in Town Gate, Calverley.

The hotel, which is set in leafy landscaped gardens, is part of the Brewers Fayre chain and has a set menu used throughout the company.

Jon cooks a mixture of traditional English and food from around the world. Diners relaxing in the hotel's spacious, country-style restaurant can tuck into meals including fish and chips, spinach and ricotta cannelloni, Moroccan lamb, vegetable lasagne, plus a range of pies and steaks. Old favourites such as sticky toffee pudding and cheesecake grace the dessert menu.

"There is a good mix of foods, primarily good, pub-style food, but with extras drawing on lots of different influences such as Mediterranean and North African," says Jon, who has worked at the Elmwood since March, as one of a six-strong team of chefs.

The hotel, on a prominent position in the picturesque village between Bradford and Leeds, is particularly popular with families, who visit after school or on a weekend.

"We have a lot of regulars who like the food and the atmosphere. It is like an old stately home - it is comfortable and there is a lot of room both inside and out."

Jon moved north seven years ago with his wife Gail, who grew up in Leeds. The couple, who live in Bramley, met in a Southampton nightclub and are now parents to David, eight, Jodie, six, and five-year-old Chloe.

He loves being a dad. "It is great, watching the children change - and they change so fast. They make us laugh so much - even when they are being little horrors."

On days off he likes to spend time with his family, taking the children to a park, or visiting a ten-pin bowling alley.

Jon is happy in his work, although, in common with most chefs, he points out that it can be tough, and stresses how committed you need to be.

"The hardest thing about this profession is the long hours, but you get used to it. My advice to anyone starting out would be that to do this job you have to really like what you do."

Ultimately, he would like to run his own restaurant, possibly abroad. "I've always fancied working in Australia, or Jamaica. I used to live in Chapeltown in Leeds and developed a love of Jamaican food."