PUPILS are being urged to slice, dice and cook their way through challenges to be named Big School Cook Off winners.
The annual competition champions young people with a passion for cooking and gives them an insight into the hospitality industry.
It also encourages them to consider a career in food service and opens the door to future training and skill development.
Run in association with the Irish News and supported by Business in the Community, The Mount Charles Big School Cook Off in partnership with SuperValu, is open to all post-primary school pupils across Northern Ireland and Donegal, aged between 11 and 14.
Teams of two are asked to submit a main course recipe idea that feeds two, focusing on locally sourced ingredients that can be bought on a budget of £5 or Euro equivalent.
The recipes are then shortlisted and the successful finalists take part in a regional heat at the end of January 2019, where each cooking duo will prepare the recipe they submitted.
The winning team from each regional heat will progress to cook their recipe for an esteemed panel of judges at the grand finale next March in Belfast Met's Titanic Quarter campus.
Caitriona Lennox, Mount Charles Business Development and Retention Manager said she was thrilled with the number of entries last year and was calling on schools that have not taken part to "grab their aprons and join the fun".
"Feedback from participating schools has been amazing. Teachers have told us that the competition noticeably boosted their pupils' self-esteem and gave them so much more confidence in their cooking ability.
"The overall standard of the competition was very high but the winning team from Ballymena Academy created a dish that was of restaurant standard and I can't wait to see what all the teams produce this year."
Brendan Gallen, head of marketing at Musgrave said being able to work with hundreds of "top young foodies from all over Northern Ireland and Donegal is incredibly exciting".
The Irish News Marketing Manager John Brolly said the competition was an excellent initiative that all schools should embrace to get young people to take an interest in food.
"We are looking for pupils to slice, dice and cook their way through a number of challenges so that they can walk away as winner of the Big School Cook Off," he said.
:: The deadline to submit recipe ideas is November 9. To enter or for more information visit www.irishnews.com/bigschoolcookoff.
