Ashley cooks up a storm

Ashley, in Year 11 at Chichester High School for Boys, will be joined in the next round by Ruth Thackray (Year 9, Felpham Community College) who claimed the runners-up spot.

The pair out-cooked students from Brighton, Littlehampton and Worthing, with Hannah Hawdon (Year 10, Chichester High School for Girls) also among the competitors.

Mike Harvey, of the Rotary Club which organised the event, was impressed not only by the number of participants but also the diversity of those involved.

"The event was very well attended, with 15 entries between the ages of 12 and 16," he said.

"There was a fairly even boy-girl split which was encouraging - it's good to see more young men getting into cookery."

Master Chefs Tony McCawley and Giovanni Fontebasso judged the event, in which competitors prepared a healthy three course meal for two people within a budget of 14.

Ashley wowed the judges with his starter of broccoli and stilton soup, moving on to a salmon and horseradish filo bake for the main course and a banoffee fool dessert.

The competition, this year sponsored by the Fillipo Berio Olive Oil Company, was initially created to give young people the chance to show off their creative culinary talents, to promote healthy eating and to learn important life skills.

Ashley and Ruth will travel to Banbury for the regional final and from there, winners head to London for the national final at Westminster College on April 19.

The overall winner will spend four days in Italy and a visit to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant.