DONCASTER courier firm boss Daniel Costello has no need to shell out on posh meals – because he's an eggs-pert in the kitchen himself!
The 29-year-old from Woodland Plantation, Balby, who runs Point2Point courier service, has just won a competition designed to find the best chef in Yorkshire when it comes to cooking an egg.
He was crowned Yorkshire Eggs Factor winner at a cook-off in Leeds as part of a competition to find the new "Face of Eggs".
There were more than 500 entries to the competition, which were whittled down to 12 finalists in each region who will compete across UK kitchens throughout September.
Dean Rogers, the Executive Chef at Oulton Hall Hotel in Leeds, was on hand to judge the finalists on their ability to poach the perfect egg and create a signature dish using eggs.
Daniel whipped up a perfect poached egg followed by his signature dish of Spanish Baked Eggs. It was the first time he had ever entered a cookery competition.
Daniel will now compete against regional winners from across the UK in the Eggs Factor final in London next month.
Michelin-starred celebrity chef Paul Merrett will be the judge.
Daniel reckons the key to perfect poached eggs is to swirl the water with a spoon before putting the egg in, making sure the water is simmering rather than boiling.
"Swirling the water helps stop the egg from breaking up," he said. "The momentum keeps it together."
His signature dish consisted of eggs broken into a sauce made up of tomato, shallots, garlic, capers, anchovies and Spanish sausage, before being baked.
The secret of Daniel's success is down to wife Katie, also aged 29, a supermarket buyer.
He said: "She's definitely more of an egg fan than I am. I do a lot of the cooking and egg dishes are something she likes, so I like to make them for her."
With an eight-month-old daughter called Ruby ready to start on solids, he reckons she will be the next to taste his cooking. Scrambled eggs are on his list of foods to help wean her on.
Daniel, who says he has heard all kinds of egg puns since winning his title, does not think he is likely to win the £5,000 prize for the national competition.
He said: "There are three or four professional chefs in that, I believe – but I just do the cooking when I get home.
"I have to admit I'm sick of the sight of eggs after the competition – I think I'll be giving them a bit of a miss until the final."
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