Chefs Gary Rhodes, Michael Caines and Marco Pierre White were all nominated for an Acorn Award in their early days before they found fame and fortune. The award is highly prized. They are given annually to people aged 30 and under who have shown commitment and ability in the catering industry and have demonstrated qualities which will make an impact in the future. They are innovators who have already achieved exceptional things and are considered people to watch out for as they are exceptionally talented and deserve recognition at this stage of their career.

The awards are now in their 22nd year and are presented by the Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine. Every year, the magazine organises a weekend away for the winners so that they can meet like-minded people in the catering industry.

Corin Earland, the head chef at The Fishes pub, in North Hinksey, is one of this year's winners. This talented 28-year-old has worked at The Fishes for more than four years and says he has loved every minute.

He began his career by taking on a part-time washing-up job in a local hotel, where he eventually stayed for three years. The cuisine was basic, the hours long, but he admits to learning a great deal during that time. His defining moment, however, came when he saw a position advertised at the newly opened Le Petit Blanc, in Cheltenham. It was here that he obtained his NVQ and gained the position of commis to chef de partie. (Chef de partie in a traditional French-based kitchen organisation involves running a section of the kitchen with the assistance of one two or more commis and trainee chefs. They directly supervise staff, equipment and the processing of raw materials in specialised areas of food production - in other words, they are actively involved in food preparation in most areas of the kitchen and so are their commis). It was here that he met Oxfordshire's Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc, who he says has remained his inspiration. "It's his enthusiasm that really gets to you. It is infectious. So is his constant attention to detail. I owe him a great deal."

Corin remembers the time when M. Blanc joined the kitchen brigade in Le Petit Blanc and asked about the temperature of a certain dish. "He said it had to be 96 degrees, so we all rushed off to find a kitchen thermometer. When we returned he looked at the thermometer and asked us what we intended to do with it. Test the temperature, I answered, to which he stuck his finger in the pot, said the thermometer wasn't needed as it was exactly 96 degrees, then walked away."

Corin admits that they all thought Raymond Blanc was showing off, so when he had moved on, they stuck the thermometer into the pan to find that it registered exactly 96 degrees. "When someone demonstrates skills like that, you have to take him seriously," he said. He finally moved on and worked for a season with Peach Pubs at The One Elm, Stratford-upon-Avon before being offered his own kitchen at The Fishes, which is also run by Peach Pubs.

Hamish Stoddart, the co-founder of the Peach Pub Company, describes Corin as a person who never sits still. "Since joining Peach, he's been an endless source of energy and inspiration. He's someone who is constantly coming up with creative ideas to help the Fishes raise its food quality and enhance its standing in the Oxford restaurant scene.

"It was Corin who came up with the idea of serving picnic baskets, which could be enjoyed in the pub's waterside garden. This brilliant idea, which is now being copied by other catering outlets, meant that The Fishes could maximise the number of covers by making full use of its outdoor space," he said.

Corin also created the pub's popular roast boards, rescuing the kitchen from pressurised Sunday lunch services, while wowing the customers with a fresh approach to a Sunday lunch which enables them to pre-order a family joint that's served at the table with fresh seasonal vegetables and all the trimmings. This initiative won the pub a special award in The Publican magazine a couple of years ago.

Then there's Corin's determination to use local suppliers whenever possible. He's not a chef who plays lip-service to this concept but buys most food in bulk from a central supplier because it's easier. He actually gets out and about, tasting and testing local products. When the asparagus season begins he visits the nearby Medley Manor Farm and places a regular order, which Charles Gee delivers daily on his bicycle. Foxbury Farm, Brize Norton, supplies most of his meat, though he goes to Kelmscott for his Sunday roast pork and smoked gammon. He gets local free-range turkey and vegetables from Peachcroft Farm, near Abingdon.

Because The Fishes menu is changed every season you will not find asparagus listed. That appears on the specials board as Corin is conscious that it only has a six-week season and he doesn't want to lock himself into an ingredient that is only available locally for a short period of time.

'The specials board really is just that. It's special," he says, proudly adding that this is ever-changing list allows him to experiment and make much of a scarce product while it's available. It's here that the fish of the day is listed and that definitely changes on a daily basis as Peach Pubs have joined forces with the M&J Seafoods and Seafood Scotland to trail a new sustainable fish project. The scheme is a radical new venture, which uses fish caught by ethical skippers who ensure that it arrives at the pub but hours after the last catch and in tip-top condition.

While interviewing Corin at The Fishes last week I noticed that he rated the team spirit he's created in his kitchen far higher than his other achievements. He's convinced that in the end it's all about people. "Get that right and everything else follows," he said.