Encourage your Young Cooks

Children aged between 6 and 19 years can get a taste of the exciting Young Cooks competition taking place in November.

The annual contest, organised by the KM Charity Team, aims to develop a passion for cooking in young people as well as raise an awareness of healthy eating, local produce, and preparing meals to a budget.

To enter, pupils make one or two dishes (depending on the competition category), take a photograph of the completed dish, and upload the image and recipe details to the Young Cooks website

All entries will be published on the website as online recipe cards to inspire others to try out the menus for themselves.

The best entries will secure a place in a thrilling MasterChef-style event at the end of the year. Finalists will use professional kitchen facilities to cook their signature dishes in a bid to win the Young Cooks crown and top prizes including a share of £500.

Competition categories include Primary School, Secondary School, and Families for adult-and-child teams. The prize money will be shared between category winners and the overall Young Cooks champion - the latter of which will receive a cool £200.

Event organiser Maxine Tarquini of the KM Charity Team said: “Young Cooks is great fun for pupils and an excellent way for them to learn about preparing nutritious food within a set budget - a key life skill."

She added: “We’re looking forward to seeing a range of creative entries demonstrating knowledge of healthy options and locally-sourced ingredients.”

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

Finalists will be invited to make their creations for a judging panel of food industry experts at a live cook-off event staged at East Kent College in Broadstairs.

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