Cora Nicholl and Ava Canney, 13-year-old pupils from St Mary’s College in Derry, have been named the champions in the 2017 Mount Charles Big School Cook Off in association with the Irish News and Business in the Community.

From over 120 entries to the first stage of the competition, Cora and Ava beat stiff competition with their ‘Fish from our sea of blue’ dish from six other schools at the grand final to win the coveted trophy, in a truly fierce cook off held at James Street South Cookery School in Belfast.

The Big School Cook Off was created by Mount Charles, Ireland’s largest locally owned foodservice company, to inspire young people to improve their cookery skills and to better understand how to cook good, healthy meals on a budget.

The team from St Mary’s College was one of 39 teams of pupils from Year 8 – Year 10 from 21 schools across NI and Donegal to compete in regional heats, where all teams were given the same set of ingredients to create a pasta dish of their choice, ready steady cook style.

To reach the regional heat, entrants had to submit their own unique recipe on a budget of £5, using local ingredients where possible. The judges from Mount Charles assessed the entries using a strict set of criteria to determine who would progress in the competition.

The schools that reached the final were Blackwater Integrated College (Downpatrick), Drumglass High School (Dungannon), Scoil Mhuire Milford (Donegal), St Genevieve’s High School (Belfast), St Mary’s College (Derry), St Ronan’s College (Lurgan) and St Patrick’s College Bearnageeha (Belfast) who were given a wildcard pass to the final at the Belfast heat.

Scoil Mhuire, Milford pupils Margaret McGreevy and Molly Sweeney won the ‘Best Presented’ dish for their mussels with homemade brown bread.

Drumglass High School, Dungannon pupils Lily Neill and Hannah Ewing won ‘Best Use of Local Produce’ with their Cream cheese and chive chicken dish, while St Ronan’s College, Lurgan pupils Niamh Bracken and Carla Withers won ‘Best Technical Ability’ for their Vanilla Pinata Cake.

Claudine McGowan-Lees, Head of Home Economics at St Mary’s College said: “The girls were shocked and overwhelmed to be the overall winner of the 2017 Big School Cook Off!

“They missed their sports day in favour of taking part in the grand final, and I think it was the right decision! They used a lot of lovely, fresh local produce from Derry and Donegal and put a lot of effort into the finished product.

“We’re all very proud of Cora and Ava, well done girls!”

Cathal Geoghegan, Managing Director of Mount Charles said: “Massive congratulations to Cora and Ava for their well deserved win, and thank you to the team at James Street South Cookery School for allowing us to hold the final in their kitchen.

“I must say that their beautiful fish dish was very impressive, and to win over the judges who have such vast catering experience is no mean feat! Their sense of teamwork, presentation and of course the taste, were all first class.

“The atmosphere in the cookery school was absolutely electric, each team put their heart and soul into their dishes and should be very proud of their achievement in reaching the final.

“Our hope is that they all leave the competition with increased confidence and skill where cooking is concerned, a healthy appetite for the wonderful local produce we have here in Northern Ireland, and maybe even a hankering to take it up as a career some day. We are always on the hunt for fresh talent!” he added.

John Brolly, Marketing Manager at the Irish News said: “It was fantastic for the Irish News to be involved in the Big School Cook Off with Mount Charles as the energy and the passion of the young students towards the whole initiative has been amazing to experience.

“I would like to thank all the schools, teachers and students who took part as it was a pleasure to see first hand the high standards that they have set for themselves. Their professionalism was simply outstanding.”

In addition to a trophy, the team from St Mary’s College has won £300 in vouchers for their school, as well as a treat for their families with a meal at the award-winning George’s of the Market restaurant and family tickets to see the Belfast Giants on the ice at the SSE Arena.