Secondary school pupils can use their course work to secure a share of £500 with a Masterchef-style cookery competition.

Children aged six to 19 from across Kent are invited to submit recipe ideas for kitchen contest Young Cooks, with shortlisted finalists being invited to cook their recipes at a live Masterchef-style event.

The winners will share £500 in prize money, and there will be separate primary-school, family, secondary-school and overall winners announced.

Competition organiser Hannah Hawksworth urged children studying food technology at secondary school to submit recipes prepared as part of their course work.

She said: “This is an excellent opportunity for them to develop school projects further.

“There’s no extra burden, the online application process is simple to complete, and you could end up winning a share of £500 in cash money at the Masterchef-style final.”

The final will take place at Broadstairs College in November.

And Stephen Kendall, programme director for catering and hospitality at Broadstairs College parent organisation the EKC Group, said young people who made it through to the final were guaranteed a “fabulous experience”.

He said: “At Broadstairs College, we’re really proud to be a supporter of Young Cooks. It’s a fantastic opportunity for youngsters to really get involved and develop their skills within the catering industry.

“It’s fun and all about meeting people and enjoying yourselves.

“So get your entries in because it’s a fabulous experience, and you’ll love every minute of it.”

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

The deadline for entries is November 7. Find out more at www.youngcooks.org.uk.