BUDDING young cooks are to get the Royal seal of approval by preparing a meal at Clarence House for the Duchess of Cornwall and her lunch guests.

A team of four teenagers from Greencroft Business and Enterprise Community School, near Stanley, County Durham, have won the chance of a lifetime in a national competition.

The school’s School Nutrition Action Group (Snag) is joint national winner – with a school in Aberdeen – of the British Food Fortnight’s Secondary Challenge.

On Thursday, pupils Chelsea Forrest, Louise Hall, Jake Mossom, all 14, and 15-year-old Ethan King will prepare and serve a main course of rabbit pie with parsley crust and black pudding with apple.

Their Scottish colleagues will do the starter and dessert.

Both will work with TV’s Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers and Si King.

Snag has been a regional winner twice before and a national champion once.

The recipe was thought up by Alex Ellwood, a senior learning mentor at the school, after the pupils talked to local groups, including Annfield Plain WI, about traditional meals.

She said: “It’s a fantastic prize. They will never forget it. It is unique.’’ Jake, of Catchgate, said: “I think it will be a great experience. How many people can say they have had the experience of cooking for a Royal?”