A PUPIL from a Laindon secondary school won an interschool fairtrade cooking competition.

Sophie Humphreys, 14, from the James Hornsby School, beat off competition from pupils from Beauchamps High School, in Wickford, and De La Salle School, in Basildon, to win the contest.

The Year 9 pupil won the contest with cajun spiced chicken fillet, roasted vegetable and beetroot salad, mango chutney and balsamic glaze, followed by profiterole filled with chocolate ganache and chocolate and beetroot brownie, served with a raspberry coulis and beetroot cream.

Judge Tony Ball, a trained chef who used to lead Basildon Council, said: “The standard of food was excellent across the board.

“It was a very tough decision to make, but the winning dish was chosen due to the level of technical skills that had gone into making the pudding.”

Linda Williams, chairman of the Basildon Fairtrade Group, which organised the competition, said: “I was astounded by the level of work and the standards produced, particularly given they are only 14 to 16 years old.”

Beauchamps hosted the annual cook-off, which aims to boost awareness of the fairtrade movement and encourage people to think about where their food comes from and the conditions in which it is produced.

Competition dishes had to include at least two fair-trade ingredients.A PUPIL from a Laindon secondary school won an interschool fairtrade cooking competition.

Sophie Humphreys, 14, from the James Hornsby School, beat off competition from pupils from Beauchamps High School, in Wickford, and De La Salle School, in Basildon, to win the contest.

The Year 9 pupil won the contest with cajun spiced chicken fillet, roasted vegetable and beetroot salad, mango chutney and balsamic glaze, followed by profiterole filled with chocolate ganache and chocolate and beetroot brownie, served with a raspberry coulis and beetroot cream.

Judge Tony Ball, a trained chef who used to lead Basildon Council, said: “The standard of food was excellent across the board.

“It was a very tough decision to make, but the winning dish was chosen due to the level of technical skills that had gone into making the pudding.”

Linda Williams, chairman of the Basildon Fairtrade Group, which organised the competition, said: “I was astounded by the level of work and the standards produced, particularly given they are only 14 to 16 years old.”

Beauchamps hosted the annual cook-off, which aims to boost awareness of the fairtrade movement and encourage people to think about where their food comes from and the conditions in which it is produced.

Competition dishes had to include at least two fair-trade ingredients.