MENUS at cafés and restaurants throughout the Exmoor area have been given a spring make-over as local young chefs made the very best of the food and drink produced on their doorstep. The chefs were taking part in the Eat Exmoor programme, which included workshops and a Masterchef-style finale held in West Somerset College's Combe Restaurant on Tuesday. The participants were challenged to come up with the most creative menu possible using local produce as key ingredients. As well as developing cookery skills, competitors were also encouraged to increase their knowledge of local produce. The competition was judged by Andrew Dixon, owner and chef of The Café at Porlock Weir, Lee Talbot of funding partners Magnox and Sue Taphouse of Exmoor Producers Association. The winning menu was put together by Abbie Smith of Reeves in Dunster. Her tastebud-tingling offering included a starter of Wimbleball Trout, apple purée, herbed fennel salad and salsa agresto. Her main course was wild garlic and parsnip crust lamb with celeriac purée, roasted baby beetroots and a lamb jus served with tempura Alexander flower. This was followed by a dessert of rhubarb panna cotta with vanilla ice cream, shortbread, ginger, a purée and a biscuit crumb. The first runner-up was Steven Hadley of The Beach Hotel and second runner-up was Kate Hammond of The Spinney, Holford. Participants were judged on criteria such as locality and seasonality of the dishes, presentation, taste, planning and costing. The Eat Exmoor initiative was run jointly by the college and West Somerset Council, with financial support from the Magnox Socio Economic Fund and Somerset County Council's Interreg 2 Seas Fish and Chips project. Cllr Karen Mills, the district council's lead member for regeneration and economic growth, said: "We're pleased to have been able to bring the funding and delivery partners together to create this project which helped increase the skills of local employees in the hospitality sector. "Participants in the competition clearly demonstrated their skills in menu preparation which they can now use to strengthen the local food offer throughout the area." A set of menu cards featuring the competition dishes is also being produced to help inspire both individuals and businesses to think more creatively in the kitchen and will be available on the college website soon.