Charlotte and friends set to cook up a storm

Whanganui High School cooking students Charlotte Taylor and Matt Hirini don't know what they'll be cooking at a national cooking competition in Auckland. Photo / Stuart Munro

Whanganui High School student Charlotte Taylor is a busy young lady.

As well as the usual academic pressures that come with being a Year 13 student, Charlotte is preparing for two national cooking competitions in the next six weeks, in Auckland.

With cooking partner Olivia Caird, she'll be competing in August in the National Secondary Schools' Culinary Challenge. Later this month she'll be teaming up with Matt Hirini for the NZ Chefs' Beef and Lamb College Challenge.

This second competition is a "mystery box" competition - meaning Matt and Charlotte don't know what they'll be cooking until an hour before the competition starts.

"We know we have to cook a meat, a starch, a minimum of two vegetables and a sauce of some sort," Charlotte said.

So how do you practise for a competition when you don't know what you're cooking?

"You just have to practise your basic cooking techniques," Matt said.

The students are putting in long hours in the kitchen under the guidance of mentor Dean Wong and teacher Linda Hardcastle, who will both be travelling to Auckland with the pair.

"It's a big undertaking, because we have to take everything we need for the competition with us - literally everything, including the kitchen sink," Ms Hardcastle said.

Matt and Charlotte are looking for sponsorship to help them get to Auckland. If you would like to help with sponsorship, please contact Linda Hardcastle through Whanganui High School.