We are celebrating the culinary success at last Friday’s Royal Academy of Culinary Arts national finals at Bournemouth and Poole College. Queen’s College was the only school in the country to compete in two different age groups.

Tired after a 6am start, coupled with pre competition nerves, Queen’s students Natasha Ncube (Year 10) and Munopa Nhete (Year 12) both managed to score exceptionally high marks in their categories.

They were individually praised by head judge and celebrity TV chef Lesley Waters, famed for regular television appearances on Ready Steady Cook, Great Food Live and This Morning and the former head tutor at Leith’s School of Food and Wine.

She specifically congratulated both girls for their excellent food presentation and their high level of food preparation skills, while also offering them lots of personal tips and tricks.

Out of the 22 students in their categories, coming from as far afield as the Highlands of Scotland, both girls were judged to be in the top three.

Natasha said, “I really wanted to win because food and nutrition is something I’ve always been inspired by and wanted to excel in.

Munopa said, “The competition was a great opportunity for me to advance my knowledge of the culinary industry and also to receive valuable information from professionals in the industry. I learnt a variety of new skills and fundamentals in creating a perfect dish.It was an amazing experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Queen’s College Head of Food and Nutrition, Mr Mann said: “I am extremely proud of the immense enthusiasm and professionalism of both Munopa and Tasha. Both girls were an absolute credit to Queen’s College.”