The winner of a Masterchef-style kids kitchen contest will get to showcase their cookery skills in front of a VIP audience at one of Kent’s most highly regarded eateries.

Organised by the KM Charity Team, Young Cooks is open to children aged six to 19 from across Kent and the south-east.

They are invited to submit recipes that are healthy and delicious, with shortlisted finalists being invited to recreate them for a team of judges in November.

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

And the overall winner will also get to cook their recipes in the kitchen of competition judging organisation the award-winning Dog at Wingham, before serving them to a group of VIP guests.

Last year, overall champion eight-year-old Boglar Bote-Godri from New Romney cooked her prize-winning sea bass for 30 VIP guests including Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield and the mayor of Canterbury and Dover, mayor Cllr Susan Jones.

Liane Gladden of the Dog at Wingham said the competition provided the gastropub with an opportunity to reach out to a new generation of cookery talent.

She said: “Young Cooks is a really exciting opportunity and competition for us to be involved in.

“For us as a company, we are looking for talent, future chefs, and we’re really excited to see what dishes they come up with.”

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

Would-be entrants must submit recipes by November 7.

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

And watch a video in which, Liane Gladden talks about the competition here: