TWO PUPILS from a town secondary school have been named in the list of finalists in a national search to find the country’s next top cooking talent.

Zach Field and Phoebe Hillyard, from Nova Hreod School, have made it to the final of the Red Tractor beef and lamb Make it with Mince Challenge 2012.

After receiving hundreds of entries from across the country, 50 students were shortlisted to take part in six regional heats in the hope of eventually being crowned National Champion of the Make it with Mince Challenge 2012.

Celebrity chef James Martin and his fellow judges were blown away by Zach and Phoebe’s creative dishes, Beef and Black Turtle Bean Chilli and Spaghetti Bolognese Baskets.

They will now go on to compete in a regional cook-off against fellow regional finalists in Bristol on November 13. James will judge the recipes and each regional winner will have the chance to be crowned National Champion. They will win the chance to spend a day with James in London, watching Saturday Kitchen live, meeting the guests and sampling menus at some of the capital’s top restaurants.

The Red Tractor beef and lamb Make it with Mince Challenge, which is led by James, is now in its seventh year. It is aimed at 11 to 16 year-olds who want to test their cooking skills.

To find out more visit online at www.

simplybeefandlamb.co.uk/mincechallenge