BUDDING young chefs in the Breckland area are busy practising their souffl�s as they battle to win a junior Masterchef style competition.

BUDDING young chefs in the Breckland area are busy practising their souffl�s as they battle to win a junior Masterchef style competition.

The event is open to all aspiring chefs in the district aged 14-18 years old. Based on the TV series, the competition will give some of Breckland's best young cooks the chance to become the Miss or MasterChef of Breckland 2010.

The prize for the grand final winner will be a personal one-to-one cookery lesson with Tina Pemberton, head chef at Brovey Lair restaurant in Ovington - recently voted the best fish restaurant in the UK. The winner will also cook for three guests of their choice at Tina's restaurant.

To enter, youngsters must submit details of a three-course meal that they enjoy cooking, and explain why these courses are their favourite.

The best 25 entrants will qualify for the Breckland regional heats where the children will be provided with ingredients and a recipe and be challenged to cook the suggested main meal in a set time frame.

Each regional heat winner will then qualify for the Breckland grand final, where they will be given a selection of local seasonal produce and asked to cook two courses of their choice.

The Breckland regional heats will take place from March 22 at one of the five market towns in Breckland, with the grand final taking place on May 6. All regional finalists will receive a branded apron with the regional winner receiving �25 of cookery shop vouchers.

Richard Wills, Pride in Breckland co-ordinator said: “We hope to inspire children round the district to get cooking in what promises to be a fun and enjoyable cooking competition.”