Young chef stars Margaret McGreevy and Molly Sweeney, pupils from Scoil Mhuire in Milford, have been awarded the Best Presentation Skills in the 2017 Mount Charles Big School Cook Off.

Margaret and Molly cooked a dish of mussels in the competition final which were sourced directly from Mulroy Bay, accompanied by homemade brown bread.

They competed against six other schools at James Street South Cookery School in Belfast, only narrowly missing out on the overall winner’s trophy.

The Big School Cook Off in association with the Irish News and Business in the Community.was created by Mount Charles, Ireland’s largest locally owned food service company, to inspire young people to improve their cookery skills and to better understand how to cook good, healthy meals on a budget.

Eoghan Roarty, Principal at Scoil Mhuire, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the girls got this far and the experience has been fantastic both for Molly and Margaret and the entire school community.

“I would like to pay special tribute to Elaine Nelis for all the support she gave the girls throughout the entire competition. All the hard work and dedication has certainly paid off!”

Scoil Mhuire Best Presentation Skills

Cathal Geoghegan, Managing Director of Mount Charles said: “Massive congratulations to Molly and Margaret on winning the Best Presented Dish 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 mussel dish was presented to restaurant standard and the fact that the mussels were locally sourced added another dimension to the dish.

“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.