A culinary whizz, who has worked in some of the finest hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants, the Ayrshire native is now the man in charge of food at The Grouse.

And it is a role he is relishing.

For having travelled widely in the furtherance of his outstanding career, Duncan (34) has all the ingredients necessary to mix the traditional and the exotic on a range of signature menus which have been wowing diners since he started at the highly popular Ballymena restaurant a few months ago.

Married to a local woman and former sales executive in the hospitality trade, Iris (nee Maybin), who he met in Scotland at the outset of his blossoming career, Duncan has had a flavour for some time of mid-Antrim's eating traditions and is keen that they be maintained on his menus.

From Roast dinners with all the trimmings to steaks, gougons, lasagne, gammon and champ are, he knows, popular choices locally which he is happy to maintain.

However, having travelled, lived and worked around the globe, this chef is also keen to tempt his customers' palates with a taste of something new.

"I'm a big fan of spices and herbs and I particularly enjoy using them to put a twist on to the old favourites," he says.

And he uses those condiments to great effect with, for example, that old chestnut - pork and apple sauce - transforming that dish into 'Crispy pork belly with wok fried cabbage and apple and ginger chutney'.

Step aside too, ye olde traditional fish and potatoes and make way for Duncan's 'Roast Salmon on masala mash'.

And what could be twisted more tastily than 'Prawn Cocktail - with Thai Mayonnaise'? Or even 'Cumin roast Lough Erne lamb with mint pickle and pea cous cous'.

"For me it's being smart enough to keep the dishes on my menus which customers will always come back for, putting my own mark on others and also offer something totally new for customers who enjoy being adventurous," says The Grouse head chef.

Certainly, Duncan has never shied away from change in the course of a career which began as a trainee chef in various small hotels in Ayrshire after he left college.

It wasn't long before he was snapped up by the prestigious Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh - one of the top five hotels in Scotland - and promoted after three years to senior chef.

He and his wife then headed Down Under to travel and work in Australia and it was an experience which became the biggest influence on his career.

While in the country, he cooked at the Port Douglas Sheraton in North Queensland and in the famous Melbourne Casino which has no less than 15 restaurants and banqueting facilities for 5,000 people.

On their return to Scotland, Duncan became the chef for the Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant in the Balmoral Hotel on Edinburgh's Princes Street and then went back to the Sheraton Grand Hotel as sous chef, overseeing banqueting, its brasserie, fine dining and bedroom fare.

Then, a chance meeting with Northern Ireland celebrity chef Paul Rankin set the wheels in motion for a career move to the province five years ago.

Duncan became Paul's sous chef at 'Cayenne' in Belfast and also opened his Rain City restaurant at Junction One as its head chef but after a year and a half, he moved on to The Edge in Belfast as head chef. A position he maintained until coming to Ballymena.

"I'm now cooking the food that I have learned and loved over the years," he says.

"For me, it's about striking a balance between traditional tastes and new taste experiences but essentially it's about providing tasty food that people will enjoy eating in a relaxing atmosphere".

Duncan stressed also that locally sourced, fresh, seasonal produce is central to the success of every one of his dishes and this is borne out by the well-known names encorporated into his menus such as Hillstown Farm in Randalstown (pork and free range poultry), Lough Erne (lamb), Lough Neagh (fresh water fish), Finnebrogue (venison), and Fermanagh Tickety-moo (ice-cream).

If you're one of the few who have not yet sampled a taste of Duncan's 'well-travelled' take on dining out, there are a number of ways to do so.

His lunch menu is available each day from 12-3pm, while his early evening menu runs from 5-7pm and an afternoon menu is available from 3-5pm.

Dinner runs from 7-9.30pm each evening and until 10pm on Friday and Saturday while, on Sundays, dining is from 1-7pm when customers can choose from the extensive lunch and early evening menus or sample one of at least three roast dinner 'specials'.

Come the autumn and by popular demand, Duncan will be staging a second Gourmet Dinner at The Grouse.

As with the inaugural, highly successful evening held in May, diners will be treated to a sumptous array of courses, each complemented by a specially selected fine wine, created, prepared and even explained during the course of the night by Duncan himself.