An Ashford organisation is supporting a contest to inspire the young chefs of tomorrow.

Kent Cookery School is supporting the KM Kent Cooks competition which aims to encourage youngsters to take up cooking and pay more attention to what they eat.

Organised by the KM Group’s charity department, the school cooking contest is open to pupils across Kent aged five to 18 years.

Daniel Kennedy said: “We are so excited to be involved in the Kent Cooks competition. The Kent Cookery School is all about inspiring people; we always encourage our students to try new ingredients and cooking techniques and to be more confident in the kitchen.

“We believe that good food and a well balanced diet should and can be enjoyed by everyone, which is exactly what Kent Cooks is all about.”

To enter, young cooks must submit photographs of their signature dishes along with descriptions of cooking method to the Kent Cooks website before the November 4 deadline.

Recipes will be judged based on their creativity, presentation, and the student’s awareness of healthy living and locally sourced ingredients.

Organiser Julia Williamson from Kent Cooks said: “The aim is to develop the confidence and abilities of young people to prepare meals to a fixed budget, as well as to increase awareness of healthy options and Kentish produce.”

Categories include primary school, secondary school and families for adult-and-child entries. Youngsters will be competing to win a share of £500.

Finalists will be invited to attend the live cook-off on November 27 when category winners and the overall KM Kent Cooks champion will be announced.

Kent Cooks is also supported by Countrystyle Recycling, Mini Babybel, Three R's Teacher Recruitment, DFDS Seaways, Southern Water, Golding Homes, Orbit South, Brakes, Carefree Communications, VooServers and Licensing Consultancy Services.

For full entry details, visit www.kentcooks.co.uk.