Cirencester teens named best young cooks

Leon Woolley and Deaken Bhavnani, both 13-years-old, from Cirencester Deer Park School, were named the best young cooks across Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.

Young cooks from school across the counties were challenged to create menus using locally-produced ingredients including at least one from the Best of our Counties range.

County heats were held in May and four pairs were chosen to cook their dishes in the Midcounties final at Foodworks Cookery School near Cheltenham.

Leon and Deaken won the final with their local goats’ cheese and mushroom ravioli with a wild garlic and hazelnut pesto plus a triple chocolate brownie with Chantilly cream and raspberry coulis.

They wowed the judges with their culinary skill and their menu which had a real flavour of where they live.

Min Raisman, director of fit2cook food education who ran the competition said: “Leon and Deaken had worked really hard sourcing their ingredients – they picked wild garlic from their local canal bank, sourced mushrooms from Stroud Farmers’ Market and used Jess’s Ladies organic cream and Shipton Mill flour as well.

"They are both passionate cooks who clearly enjoyed every minute of the competition. They are deserving winners.”

Leon said of winning: “I have wanted to be a chef for as long as I can remember, receiving my first pestle and mortar when I was a toddler!

"This means so much to me.”

Deaken added: “This is amazing, I love cooking and I love food!”

All four teams cooked stunning dishes and the judges found it hard to choose one overall winner.

Runners up were Lottie Denne and Isla Mackintosh from The Cotswold School, Bourton on the Water with Hook Norton rack of lamb which they combined with a salsa verde and celeriac mash, plus a berry and macaroon tower.

Leon and Deaken win £300 for their food technology department and the Midcounties trophy.

Their teacher Natalie Dearing also won a hamper full of local food goodies provided by the Midcounties Coop.