MORPETH school pupils impressed their teachers with some delicious dishes as they took part in the first stage of a national contest.
Rioghan Bruce, a year nine student, won the King Edward VI School heat of the FutureChef Competition. He cooked a chicken fillet stuffed with apricot, spinach and gruyère, wrapped in pancetta, on a bed of vegatable couscous.
He will now participate in the regional round at Newcastle College on Wednesday.
The 13-year-old said: “I love cooking, so I’m really pleased to get through to the final where I will be proud to represent my school. I will be trying my very best to create a really tasty dish that the judges will enjoy and hopefully be worthy of winning.
“I’m also looking forward to meeting young school chefs from other schools and putting my abilities to the test against them.”
Among the other competitors for the KEVI stage were Ellen Dickie, who cooked a thai curry with basmati rice and a side of peppers, onion and garlic mushrooms, and Dev Shadforth, who made a tuna pasta bake topped with cheddar cheese and a crispy side salad.