Danish chef Kofoed Rasmus has won the prestigious Bocuse d'Or biannual cooking contest held in Lyon, France.

He collected a trophy and a €20,000 (£17,181) prize, having pipped Tommy Myllymaki of Sweden and Norway's Gunnar Hvarnes, who came second and third respectively, to the top spot.

The threesome were among 24 chefs from across the globe who were given just 5.35 hours to produce two perfect dishes using Scottish lamb for the meat dish and choosing between monkfish, crab and Scottish langoustine for the fish course.

This year's British candidate was Simon Hulstone of Torquay's Elephant restaurant, who finished in tenth place.

Speaking to Bloomberg ahead of the event, he said: "The aim is to put the UK on the map for 2013 to make people think more about it and bring in more sponsorship.

"The build-up has been good and people are talking about it."

The judging panel is comprised of 24 influential chefs, each drawn from the countries represented in the competition.