Younger children are being urged to aim high when it comes to kids kitchen contest Young Cooks.

The Masterchef-style competition is open to young people aged six to 19 across the south-east, with winners in four categories set to share £500 in cash money.

And the message for primary school children is that they should not be put off from entering out of fears that the competition prizes are sure to go to older children with more skills and experience.

Young Cooks coordinator Hannah Hawksworth said: “I would urge primary school children to use last year’s Young Cooks, when three of the prizes went to primary school pupils, as inspiration.

“It really is not the case that older is necessarily better when it comes to this competition, and there is no reason at all why the overall Young Cooks champion couldn’t be a primary school pupil again this year.”

Last year, eight-year-old Boglar Bote-Godri from New Romney became the first primary school finalist in the history of the contest to be crowned overall winner, after impressing with a dish of sea bass with sautéed smoked bacon, chicory, dwarf beans, celeriac and red wine sauce.

In addition, 10-year-old Brooke Keen from Hernhill C of E primary school in Faversham and her father, Ray, scooped the family category title. They made skate wing, brown butter, capers and new potatoes plus a dessert of ginger beer tarte tatin.

And the actual primary school prize was won by Amelia Phillips, 10, from Bredgar C of E School in Sittingbourne. She cooked pan-roasted free-range chicken breast, baby leeks, parsnip purée, beetroot and balsamic dressing.

Amelia Page, 14, from Invicta Grammar in Maidstone, took the secondary school prize with her creamy ravioli in seafood sauce followed by Kentish apple sorbet, blackberry purée and crumble.

The deadline for submitting recipes for the competition is Wednesday, November 6.

Shortlisted finalists will be invited to recreate them for a team of judges at a Masterchef-style event in November.

And one judging organisation with a particular interest in seeing entries from primary school children is Three R’s Teacher Recruitment.

Three R’s consultant Natalie Bond said: “We’re looking forward to judging the Kent Cooks this year. We were part of it last year. Thoroughly enjoyed it. The standard of the children was amazing.

“Having been a parent of two primary school children myself, it was lovely to see that younger children can cook. So really looking forward to being a part of it this year.”

Young Cooks is organised by the KM Charity Team.

Apart from Three R's Teacher Recruitment, it is supported by SE Medical, the Dog at Wingham, the Southern Co-op, Broadstairs College, Macknade Fine Foods, Principals by CH & Co Group, Chequers Kitchen, Brakes, Golding Homes, Kent Catering Services, Whole School Meals and Taylor Meats.

Find out more at www.youngcooks.org.uk.