ACCLAIMED chef John Elliott has come a long way since he had to persuade his teachers in Southampton to let him study cookery.

"It was called Home Economics in those days and only girls were allowed to do it,'' said John, 39, who has been appointed head chef at the Macdonald Botley Park Hotel and Country Club. His goal is to make the restaurant one of the best in Hampshire.

"I started cooking with my mum when I was very young and loved it. My mates teased me a bit about being the only boy doing cookery, but it was worth it.''

After studying bakery and catering John was snapped up by The Hilton, learning his skills at the Kensington and Park Lane sites. Then he worked at a host of top establishments including the Grand in Brighton and Anthony Tobin's South Lodge in West Sussex, which he helped take to double AA rosette level.

As sous chef at The Square, London's double Michelin-starred restaurant, he worked with top chef Philip Howard and regularly cooked for celebrities such as Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.

He was chef de partie on the QE2 and head chef on Royal Caribbean cruise ships and recently spent three years in Australia in charge at exclusive restaurants in Sydney. Back on home ground he is relishing the opportunity to totally revitalise the restaurant at Macdonald Botley Park.

"This is an incredibly exciting time,'' he said. "The Macdonald Group is investing so much in it and I have been given a free hand to build my team. There is a real need for top class restaurants here and I believe we can be one of the best.''

John's travel experiences have influenced his cooking and, while his menus largely feature modern French-style food there will also be other European, Asian and Pacific Rim flavours.

He is planning to introduce three menus including a daily table d'hote and seasonal a la carte.

Starters will include such dishes as goats' cheese pannacotta with piperade and balsamic syrup, pot-roasted breast of guinea fowl with summer salad of asparagus and new potatoes, tarragon and lemon hollandaise - and raspberry souffl and peach sorbet.

Hotel manager Gordon Riddell said: "John is an exceptional chef and he has the skills and drive to achieve our aim of offering the best dining and banqueting facilities in the county.''