YEAR ten students from the West Somerset Community College in Minehead cooked up a treat for a trio of judges when they fought for the chance to make their mark in a national cookery competition.

Eleven young people were put through their culinary paces as part of a national Rotary Club Young Chef 2010 competition.

They were challenged by Minehead rotarians to cook tomato soup and chicken chasseur from scratch, using the college's top rate facilities at the Combe Restaurant in the Skills and Enterprise Centre.

Three former and current restauranteurs were called in to judge the results and after much deliberation awarded marks for everything from kitchen skills and presentation to the all important taste test.

In the end, Jesse Mallinson was named as the winner, with Fergus Napper as runner-up.

Jesse was presented with a trophy and her own specially embroidered chef's whites by the Rotary Club of Minehead and will now go on to represent the area in the next round of the competition.

She will face young cooks from all rotary areas of Somerset and parts of North Somerset in her bid for national glory.

Minehead rotarian Delia Paveling said: "We are really pleased the college has decided to get involved, especially as they have such wonderful new facilities at The Combe."

Jesse and Fergus are pictured with judges Bob Mann and Richard Forman and rotary club president Tony Eaton.

Photo: Steve Guscott