Children at Firside Junior School are being given the chance to work with a former pupil and top chef when they celebrate the opening of their new cookery room next week.

Children at Firside Junior School are being given the chance to work with a former pupil and top chef when they celebrate the opening of their new cookery room next week.

Richard Bainbridge, joint head chef at Morston Hall will be at the Hellesdon school on Tuesday, May 6 to work with pupils in their new £16,000 room.

The chef, who is a former pupil at Firside Junior School, has worked his way up to his current post after having his interest in catering sparked while helping out at the Bull pub in Hellesdon.

He will be at the school answering pupils' questions in assembly. He will then officially open the cookery room before working with a group of pupils to create some culinary treats.

Simon Fisher, headteacher at Firside Junior School, said: “This cookery room will be of huge benefit to our pupils' education as it will give us the opportunity to teaching them basic culinary skills, as well as some of the science behind cooking.

“It is vital that children learn the basics of cooking as these are skills for life. It is also important that they know what goes into their food and how it is made, as this helps their understanding of how to eat healthily.”

The creation of the cookery room at Firside has been supported locally, with Hellesdon builders Province Carpentry fitting the kitchens in the new room.

Town Close Estates contributed £9,000 towards the project, with the school itself, and its Friends' Association, funding the remainder.

The new cookery room has three bays, each with their own appliances and work areas.