A QUARTET of girl guides from Suffolk have beaten of competition from across the UK to be named “Queens of Cuisine” in a prestigious cooking contest.

Elliot Furniss

A QUARTET of girl guides from Suffolk have beaten of competition from across the UK to be named “Queens of Cuisine” in a prestigious cooking contest.

The girls, from the Second Walton Group, based near Felixstowe, took on teams from Hertford and Wishaw in the final last week, held at a kitchen in a top London hotel.

They were judged on their originality, nutritional content and taste by the panel, which included Suzie Green from Girl Guiding UK and Nancy Brown from Florida Grapefruit, which sponsored the event.

Fellow judge Sophie Wright, one of the UK's top young head chefs, said: “The aim of the competition was to encourage teens to hone their cooking skills and help friends and family understand the importance of using fresh ingredients, rather than putting a ready meal in the microwave.”

The Suffolk winners, 10-year-olds Bella Pattinson, Emily Boulton, Bethany Raynor and Aliyah Llewellyn, were highly commended for creating a “delicious and healthy dish” and were awarded the top prize of a private cooking session with Sophie Wright along with a three course meal at the Rainforest Cafe.