The nine contestants, aged between 12-16, who had already got through their school heats and local area finals, were tasked with producing a healthy meal in 1 ½ hours, with a budget of up to £10.

Maddie produced a salmon papillote for main, and then a chocolate and beetroot cake with a raspberry couli and a mango couli accompanied by creme fraiche for dessert. Despite not winning, she performed fantastically and was a real credit to the school.

Maddie said of the day:

“It was a great experience to work in a professional kitchen and it will help with my GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition course. I enjoyed challenging myself and I want to be a Sports Nutritionist in the future.”

Kerry Irons, Food Technology teacher, added:

“It’s been lovely to see Maddie gain confidence and she’s done exceptionally well to get this far, with over 9000 competition entries. She was pleased to receive chef whites with her name inscribed on them and she certainly looked the part!”