Budding chefs from Penryn College recently battled it out in the Rotary Young Chef competition.

The four entrants, Mia, Sebastian, Gabriel and Naomi, had a budget of £15 from which they had to buy ingredients to prepare a three course meal for two people. Points, a total of 150, were awarded for choice of menu, presentation, planning, hygiene and the range of skills used.

The event was judged by local chef, Jose Valles-Ortiz and items on the menu included beetroot ravioli, roasted duck breast and lemon cheesecake.

Organiser, Rotarian Jim Henderson, said: “The competition was terrific. The students displayed such fantastic skills and passion for cooking. The cooking was of the highest for several years and none would have looked out of place in a restaurant. Choosing the winner proved very hard."

Judge Jose had an almost impossible task as his final totals for all the contestants scored so closely. Jim added: “This was the eighth year he had been responsible for hosting Young Chef and had never seen such a high standard with close scoring, only two points between all four contestants. The youngest competitor is only 13 so it bodes very well for next year’s competition.”

The runners up were Sebastian and Naomi while Mia took second place and Gabriel was the winner. Gabriel and Mia now go through to the Cornwall area final at Cornwall College at the end of the month. All four students were awarded a prize from Penryn Rotary Club.