A TEENAGER with a flair for cooking has been offered the opportunity of a lifetime in one of Lancashire’s best restaurants.

Matthew Marriot, from Oswaldtwistle, narrowly missed out on making it through to the national finals of the FutureChef competition, but the 14-year-old has now been offered the chance to work alongside a Michelin Star chef instead.

The teenager was given the opportunity to gain work experience in coveted restaurant Northcote after reaching the third round of the SpringBoard SuperChef competition, a national contest for budding young chefs around the country.

But despite being one of 12,000 to make to make it through to the penultimate round, the Haslingden High School student didn't quite make the cut after his chicken sauce, served as part of his budget two-course meal, didn't reduce enough.

He said: "The hardest bit was getting used to the hob because it was one large plate with the hottest part in the middle and you could not control it, so you just had to guess where to put the pans.

"My chicken sauce didn't quite reduce enough but the rest of the dishes went well."

Matthew also served a chocolate fondant with ice cream and chopped nuts.

The teenager now plans to complete his work experience over the summer holidays, when he will work in the famous Northcote kitchen alongside his mentor, chef Danny Young.

Matthew said: "I wasn’t expecting the work experience, but I'm really excited.

“I will be going there during the six-week summer holidays and it will be a really good experience.”

Matthew plans to study at Runshaw College in Chorley after he has finished his GCSEs so he can pursue his passion of cooking.

He regularly cooks dinner at home, although his family will be pleased the competition is over having eaten his practise menu most nights in the run up to the regional final!