A cooking contest which gives students a springboard into the catering industry has been won by two High School pupils.
The TeflonDiamond Standard Awards have been developed for keen catering students in the A-level age group, following on from the established FutureChef awards organised by the charity SpringBoard and targeted at those studying GCSEs.
Year 12 students Claire Lewis and Olivia Spurrell won the South East final and now go forward to the national final.
They each won a cash bursary while the school also received money.
The ultimate winner of the national award will win a selection of prizes including a Tiffany crystal trophy for each team member and a work experience day at Abbots Hill Cookery School with celebrity chef Lesley Waters.
The winning school will win a cash prize and £2,000 of new nonstick bakeware and cookware.
Nationally the awards attracted entries from 261 students from nearly 70 schools all over the country.
Claire and Olivia wowed the judges with their dishes which comprised: a starter of chilli linguini with scallops and lime; a main course of stuffed pork tenderloin with caramelised apple and parsnip puree; and a dessert of dark chocolate ganache with vanilla and chocolate tuille and raspberry marshmallow.
Their teacher Denise Bevan said: “Both the girls are passionate and creative about their work, and they’ve come up with beautifully presented dishes.
“They are very excited about going to the final and I think they’ll do well.
“Part of the cook-off involves designing on the spot, and that’s undoubtedly one of their strengths.”
The finals onWednesday, March 27 will be streamed live online at www.teflon-dsa.com