PALS Rebecca Hardman and Emma Jackson hope to cook up a storm in the Lancashire Young Chef competition with their mouth-watering menu.

The girls, from Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, have reached the regional heats in the competition that aims to find Lancashire's best young chef.

Rebecca, 14, said she had enjoyed experimenting to create the menu.

"We had an ingredients list given to us by the competition organiser and had to design a menu from that.

"We'll also be tested how we cook the food and our table presentation skills," she said.

"I'm not sure I want to be a chef when I leave school but it's definitely a really good hobby.

"I like cooking because you can experiment and be really creative, and you just might have something good to eat at the end."

Rebecca will be assisted by pal Emma, 15.

Between them they came up with a menu of leek and potato soup, marinated pork fillet with mash and spinach and apple tart.

If Rebecca and Emma go through to the next round they will be given another list of ingredients and will have to create another three-course menu.

"The only food I don't like is Brussels sprouts," said Rebecca.

"So if that's on the list we'll have to use it but make sure it's disguised well!"

The Lancashire Young Chef is a competition open to Key Stage 3 and 4 students from across Lancashire and is run by Lancashire Education Business Partnership.

Students had to design, prepare and cook a nutritionally balanced three course meal for two within a set budget using Lancashire produce.

The competition has attracted 24 schools with a total of over 3,800 students taking part.