A BUDDING Ribble Valley chef is is set to represent the county next month after recovering from a ‘pudding nightmare’ in the district final.

Bowland High School student Megan Goring took on Lancashire’s best at the district final at Morecambe and Lancaster College where she was challenged to cook a three-course meal in an hour-and-a-half.

MORE TOP STORIES:

The competition, organised by the national Rotary Club organisation, saw the 14-year-old see off rivals from Penwortham Priory Academy and Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School in Accrington to book her place in the final.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Ribblesdale, Megan prepared garden patch vegetables, blacksticks blue cheese with homemade flatbread for her starter and chicken with mustard and honey, from her family’s bees, with spring greens and cous cous for the main course.

However, half way through the allotted time the former Edisford Primary School pupil realised that she had forgotten about preparing a desert and quickly made a strawberry roulade.

Following her district triumph Megan will take part in the regional final at Rochdale College where she will cook for a place at the national final in Wrexham in April.

Tosside resident Megan, who is a member of the Slaidburn Young Farmers and a Girl Guide in Clitheroe, said: “I’m really pleased with how everything went on the day and it’s great to get as far as I have.

“Everything was going well but then half way through I was told that I now had to prepare a dessert which was a bit nerve racking.

“The organisers very kindly got some ingredients together and I managed to finish within the given time and even before some of the other people as well.

“I had practised the menu before at home with my family and they had helped with preparing the starter.

“I have to now cook the same thing at the regional final and I’m going to practice it again and remember the dessert this time.

“I have always liked cooking and baking and at the moment I am torn between becoming an engineer or a chef after I leave school.”

Sue Hind, a member of Ribblesdale Rotary Club, said: “Rotary clubs seem to have a reputation that it is full of old ‘Captain Mainwarings’ who meet up once a week for a meal.

“That’s simply not the case and we believe that the future of rotary is on schools.

“We are trying to inspire young people to get involved in all sorts of activities including this one.

“We are incredibly proud of Megan and she has done extremely well to get to this stage.”