YOUNG people in Worcestershire have been putting their culinary skills to the test in a creative competition organised by Worcestershire County Council.

The Tasty Toastie competition, part of the council's ongoing Food Savvy campaign, encouraged schools to come up with imaginative recipes using leftover items.

The winners received £250 to be used for food-related projects.

The top prize went to Alex Eastough from Aston Fields Middle School, who created a toastie using Alphabet Spaghetti, bacon, mushrooms, and cheese - all ingredients commonly left unused in the fridge.

Rachel Bratton, director of design technology at Aston Fields Middle School, said: “Pupils had lots of fun exploring their options and trying to find ways of incorporating ingredients that might otherwise find themselves being overlooked or even thrown away.

“I was really impressed with the ideas the pupils had but Alex's idea shone out as a strong contender for the competition winner. It was resourceful but most importantly very tasty.

“Alex will help make the decision on how we should spend the prize money within the Food Technology Department at Aston Fields Middle School, and I will continue to enjoy making lots of tasty dishes with my pupils in the future.”

The Tasty Toastie competition is part of a larger campaign by Worcestershire County Council to prevent food waste.