Countdown to cookery contest

The panel of judges gathered at an award-winning gastro-pub outside of Canterbury for the autumn launch of the Young Cooks competition for schools.

With less than two months until the November 7 deadline, their message to would-be entrants was grab your thinking caps and chefs’ hats fast.

Young Cooks autumn launch 2018 from Inspire Schools on Vimeo.

The judges met at The Dog in Wingham, where they were welcomed by owner Marc Bridgen who said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming back the judges, the families and the winning chef to cook here in January for a celebratory banquet.”

The overall winner of the competition will go to the Dog in the New Year, when they will get a taste of being a head chef in a professional kitchen - spending a morning in the pub’s kitchens preparing their signature menu for a group of VIP guests.

Organised by the KM Charity Team, the Young Cooks competition is open to young people aged six to 19, who are invited to cook, photograph, and submit recipes for dishes that are healthy and delicious.

Teachers or guardians can complete the simply online entry form on entrants’ behalf but entries must be received before midnight on 7 November.

Seth Proctor of Licensing Consultancy Services, who is on the judging panel, said: “If you haven’t had the opportunity to enter just yet, you’d better do so quickly. Get your creative thinking caps on, get into the kitchen, try a couple of dishes, enter the competition - and come along and have some fun.”

Finalists will be invited to cook their dishes at a live MasterChef-style final at East Kent College in Broadstairs, and there are cash prizes for primary school, secondary school, and family category winners, with £200 going to the overall Young Cooks champion.

To enter, view previous entries, or request free leaflets for schools, visit the Young Cooks website

The KCC-supported publication Developing an Educational Legacy details how this initiative (formerly known as Kent Cooks) links to Ofsted.

Contact Details

Maxine Tarquini
Telephone: 08442 640291
Email: mtarquini@thekmgroup.co.uk