Mold Food and Drink Festival prize for Ysgol Treffynnon

Year 9 Ysgol Treffynnon students Gracie Ready, Isabella Jones, and Abi Morgan Lloyd took part in the 'Kook Off' competition final held at Mold Food & Drink Festival after their recipe idea of a one pot spaghetti with creamy leeks and bacon earned them a place in the final.

The criteria for the competition was to create a dish for two people with a theme of 'Welsh within' costing a maximum of £10 for ingredients.

The one pot spaghetti with creamy leeks and bacon.

Recognising the importance of local produce to the economy and environment, the students selected as much Welsh produce as possible for their recipe, including Welsh leeks, shallots, and spring onions. Isabella's father supplied the bacon from his butcher's shop.

At the festival, the girls created their dish in front of an audience, competing against a team of Year 11 students.

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Graham Tinsley, director of the Welsh Culinary team from Carden Park, judged the competition, awarding the girls with the runner up prize. He described their meal as a 'pleasure on a plate' and commented that it was good enough to be put on his menu at Carden Park.

The girls received a prestigious trophy and £500 for the school to spend on cookery equipment.

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All the girls found the experience great fun and enjoyed working together to plan and create their recipe; Abi said she enjoyed tasting the meal and plans to make it for her family, and Isabella said she felt proud to show off her cooking skills and enjoyed her family being able to watch her cook.

Realising how much she enjoys cooking, the experience has inspired Gracie to consider a career as a chef, something she had not thought about before the competition.

The girls with their trophy at Ysgol Treffynnon, and teacher Jenny Morris.

Jenny Morris, food technology teacher, supported the girls through the competition. She said: "I am extremely proud of how the students planned, practised, prepared, cooked and served the meal. Ahead of the day, the students practised the dish a few times in school, delivering samples to members of staff and their friends to gain feedback.

"The students worked as a team throughout the competition and demonstrated excellent competency in the kitchen for the live 'Kook Off' which they thoroughly enjoyed; they had big smiles and giggles throughout.

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"The presentation of the dish was fantastic with colour from the leeks and chives; the textures were great, too, with the perfectly cooked spaghetti, crispy bacon and creamy sauce. The flavours really complemented each other and, as Graham Tinsley said, it was a pleasure on a plate!

"I really hope Isabella, Abi and Gracie choose to study food and nutrition at GCSE level at Ysgol Treffynnon to further develop their skills and knowledge.

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"The food team and I are currently making plans about what to spend the prize money on...maybe a pasta machine as we teach students how to make fresh pasta in Year 8, an air fryer for GCSE students and possibly an electric dryer for drying fruit and vegetables to prevent food waste.

"We would like to say a huge 'thank you' to Abi, Isabella and Gracie for being dedicated and confident learners. Thank you also to their families for attending and supporting this event and, finally, thank you to the staff at Ysgol Treffynnon for supporting the girls and myself by cheering us on!"