STUDENTS from Hartlepool College of Further Education have won prizes in a cooking competition.

The hospitality and catering students are celebrating after winning two prizes in the Annual Student Cookery competition, held at St James' Park, Newcastle.

Hartlepool College entered eight students, who competed against seven other colleges from across the North-East.

The aim of the day was to encourage healthy competition between colleges, stimulate working under pressure and encourage students to demonstrate practical skills that often go unnoticed.

Students were given an outline of what was required and had to decide which dishes to prepare, within 30 minutes.

Abbie Lodge, 17, of Hartlepool, was second in the decorated fish dish category and Lee Skidmore, 18, also from Hartlepool, was third place in the decorated meat dish category.

Paul Wilson, senior lecturer at the college, said: "Our students were very professional and efficient in demonstrating their culinary skills under time constraints in front of a large audience.

"They are all winners, by virtue of the fact that they took part and represented their college to a very high standard."