Pupils from North Halifax Grammar School, Illingworth, Halifax, battled through three rounds concocting inspirational recipes to claim the trophy in the school's first ever cooking showdown.

Food technology teacher Cheryl Hunt said: "There is a lot of talent in the school and I wanted them to be able to cook for fun and creativity rather than exams or tests."

In the first round 36 pupils got together in 20 groups to create a summer surprise. They made smoothies, desserts and fruit puddings.

And in the second round, "Outdoor Entertaining", the students cooked up food for picnics and barbecues.

Four students made it into the final round, where they were given free rein to produce their favourite dishes.

Andrew Sharp and Matthew Evans from 1885 Restaurant, Stainland were on hand to judge the food. They picked out winner Becki Nunn, 13, who made chocolate souffle with chocolate sauce.

Runner-up Karl Hanson, 12, used fresh spices to make a Thai green curry with rice.

In joint third place were Year 9 pupil Rose Alcock, who had made duck breast with stir-fried noodles, and a team of two Year 7 pupils, Robert Barnes and Ben Pullen, who made a chicken and vegetable curry.

All the entries were judged on their work in the kitchen, including the difficulty of the techniques used to create their dishes, and the taste, texture and appearance of the finished meal.

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