A STUDENT from Nelson and Colne College has been declared overall winner of the New Covent Garden Food Co Student Chef 2003 competition.

Adele Ormerod clinched the title with her Butternut Squash, Apricot & Ginger soup and she can now see her winning soup taking pride of place on supermarket shelves across the country.

It is the June Soup of the Month in New Covent Garden Food Co's summer range and has full on-pack accreditation for herself and Nelson and Colne College.

Adele wins £1,000, which she says she will use to help pay off her student loans and an additional £1,000 will be donated by New Covent Garden Food Co towards college funds.

The company supports catering education in the UK and 2002 saw the first year of the Student Chef Challenge, with its success paving the way for this year's competition.

Ten of the UK's most respected food colleges were invited to participate and the number of students taking part doubled since last year.