East Lancashire mum Kara Crossley bowed out of BBC Three’s Young Masterchef competition at the semi-final stage this week.

Kara, from Hapton, was tasked with making a street food dish as part of a pop-up where up to 20 chefs and social media food influencers would be dining.

Sticking to her roots, Kara created a trio of Lancashire bon-bons; one containing haddock, pea and mint puree, and tartar sauce with mini crispy chips; one cheese and onion with onion jam and crispy onions; and one berry, black pudding, and bacon topped with apple cider sauce and apple crisps; all served with a refreshing pint of beer.

Kara got to work on preparing her bon-bons but soon became concerned that she had given herself too much to do in the two-and-a-half hour time limit.

After working alongside fellow contestant Bobby to deliver their food to the hungry guests, which included food entrepreneurs and social media stars, an upset Kara noted she felt she could have done better in the task.

Judges Poppy O’Toole and Kerth Gumbs praised her for a great idea but admitted that Kara had given herself too much to do in the allotted time.

When Kara was revealed to be the unlucky contestant heading home, Kerth added that she has “grown so much throughout the competition” and that she should keep bringing “smiles to people’s faces through her fun cooking.”

Kara added that she had had “the best time ever” and that she “wouldn’t change anything in her journey” having got so far in the competition.

Although she fell at the final hurdle, Kara proved herself worthy of the competition throughout with some unique and exciting dishes.

Previous episodes saw her crease a porn star martini sundae, crispy pancetta carbonara, roasted hake with cauliflower puree and sea vegetables, a chicken thigh burger with triple cooked fries, and a sweet-based pizza with apple crumble topping.

The final of Young MasterChef airs at 8pm on Monday, January 23.