BUDDING young chefs have cooked up a storm to impress judges in the first round of a national competition in Thornbury.

Year nine and 10 pupils from The Castle School and Marlwood School were given two hours to create a healthy affordable two-course meal to impress judges in the Thornbury round of the Rotary Young Chef Competition.

Each of the seven competitors were given £10 to spend on ingredients before the competition on Tuesday, October 6, with Thornbury chefs Ronnie Faulkner and Romy Gill being joined by Thornbury Rotary Club vice president Derek Baker as judges for the event.

The event was so popular to enter that the Castle School had to host internal mini heats to pick its competitors.

Castle School student Rebecca Humphrey was declared the winner, advancing to the district level of the competition and winning £50.

Head chef and owner of Romy Romy said: “Cooking in the media has been about baking so much lately, especially on TV, but it is so much more diverse and it is really good to see these young people embrace that.

“As a Thornbury school it is great to see their talent being encouraged to blossom. Plus a little health competition makes it all the more fun.”

Ronnie Faulkner, owner and head chef of Ronnies in Thornbury, said: “The potential for a competition like this is phenomenal, as they get to compete at a local level against their friends, but there is scope for them to take it all the way to a national level, pushing their originality and range.

“It is great watching them work with fresh ingredients, which in itself is a great start for a healthy dish. Seeing how engrossed they are getting into this is fascinating.”