A STUDENT from Okehampton College impressed judges with her culinary skills to become a semi-finalist in the Devon round of the South West Junior Chef of the Year competition.

Chloe Crocker, 13, qualified to take part in the finals of the regional cooking competition after competing against 11 others at Okehampton College to cook a main course using Westcountry ingredients and having just an hour and a half to prepare, cook and plate up the dish.

A group of chefs selected six youngsters from the Devon entries, including Chloe who was the youngest participant, to take part in the final cook off at Exeter College.

Although she didn’t win, the judges told Chloe her food was well seasoned, well presented and ‘very tasty’. She was congratulated by Mark Dobson, chef proprietor from the Masons Arms, on her tidy kitchen working. She was asked if she would like to take it up as a career by Matt Mason, head chef from Jack in the Green, to whom she replied that she preferred her sheep farming, as she has her own pedigree ‘Rose Park’ polled Dorset.