Kerikeri pair cook up a treat

YUMMY: Northland's top student cooks Stuart Leslie, 16, and Lewis Noorwalla, 17. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Two Kerikeri students cooking their way to the top have won the Northland Secondary Schools Culinary Challenge.

Lewis Noorwalla, 17, and Stuart Leslie, 16, will now head to the national finals in Auckland on August 28.

Contestants in last Sunday's live cook-off at NorthTec in Whangarei had to prepare, cook and present an individually plated entree and main course within 90 minutes.

The pair, who are mentored by Kerikeri High School teacher Simon Hart, prepared an entree of beetroot and smoked paprika hummus with beetroot crisps; beetroot-cured salmon rollmops with French picked melon, a stack of nasturtium, beetroot and orange relish and wasabi creme fraiche, finished with a bull's beet microgreens garnish.

For their main, they served ricotta-stuffed chicken breast with fondant potato, creamed pumpkin puree, streaky bacon, sauteed Brussels sprouts and a balsamic glaze garnish.

Head judge Glenn Fulcher said the Kerikeri boys worked well as a team, creating dishes that were well designed, prepared and plated. "With a little refinement they'll be a real contender for the national title," he said.

Two NorthTec teams also competed at the Northland event. Lewis is a regular finalist in the annual Kids Can Cook contest at the Bay of Islands P&I Show in Waimate North.