TYPICAL student meals of convenience food and takeaways could become a thing of the past thanks to students at a County Durham school.

Boarders at Barnard Castle School have designed a cookery book for students planning to go to university.

For the past six weeks, they have been working in the school kitchens on simple, tasty and nutritious recipes.

Deputy headteacher Oliver Marlow, house master John Hughes and boarding house tutors Linda and Allen Jacobs tasted the food.

After a starter of salmon and prawn millefeuille, they enjoyed a main course of chicken with cream, mushroom and whisky sauce, followed by baked alaska.

Mr Marlow said: "It was a fantastic meal, and we are all very grateful to our catering manager Paul Hazelden for giving our boarders such wonderful training over the past weeks. Hopefully this will set them up well for when they go on to university next year."

The book also shows how fresh produce is cheaper and healthier than convenience food and takeaways.

Student Jamie Moore, 18, said: "I had worked in a kitchen before but this has really helped build my confidence, develop ideas and experiment."

Fellow boarder Daron Walker, 18, said: "It has been fantastic fun as well and I have certainly enjoyed eating the meals we have helped prepare."