Bedford pupils cook up a dream meal

All 29 year 10 hospitality and catering pupils took part in the first round; 16 pupils competed in the second round - with Abigail named as the eventual winner - creating a three-course meal in two hours.

Josef Plattner, currently head chef at Cranfield University, and who has in the past cooked for members of the Royal family, judged the competition on costing, planning, healthy choices, presentation skills and neatness.

Principal Ruth Wilkes said: “We were so delighted to welcome guests from The Rotary Club to Castle Newnham to judge our cooking competition. This really inspired and motivated our pupils to raise their level of cooking and to present their meals in such an attractive way. Being able to cook from fresh ingredients is a skill that we really value as a school and the enthusiasm of our food department makes this such a popular subject.”

Peter Walden of Bedford Rotary Club said, “The standard of all of the dishes was exceptionally high and we enjoyed tasting them. Part of the competition was to present the meal attractively, something that winner Abigail managed to perfection, along with her excellent cooking. Boys and girls worked in a variety of cuisines."

Bedford Rotary Club refunded all of the money spent on ingredients.