A GOVERNMENT agency is visiting Blackburn to give hundreds of youngsters a crash course in cooking.

The Food Standards Agency's Cooking Bus will be parked up at Pleckgate High School, in Pleckgate Road, Blackburn, on Friday.

It will stay for a week to give everyone a taste of good food.

The state-of-the-art mobile kitchen classroom is stopping off in the town to provide practical cooking sessions to more than 120 12- to 14-year-olds.

During the week, the budding chefs will learn all about cooking and healthy eating, exploring the relationship between food and health.

They will try new foods and experiencing different ways of preparing and cooking dishes, with salmon and potato bridies, cheesy jacket potatoes and fruit kebabs will be on the menu.

Julia Unwin, deputy chairwoman of the FSA, said: "The Cooking Bus is a good example of how the agency is working with schools and local communities to encourage people to learn more about the foods they choose to eat.

"Many schools do not have the facilities or the resources to teach cooking and food skills.

"The Cooking Bus provides the opportunity for young people to get involved with food, encouraging them to think about their own diet and adopt good hygiene practises in the kitchen."

The bus covers more than 10,000 miles each year, cooking up more than 1,800 dishes and is staffed by two experienced mainstream food teachers.