TEENAGERS Megan Hutchinson and Melissa Carr have won recognition for their culinary skills.

The two 13-year-olds from Parkside Secondary School, Willington, have been voted the North-East's best up-and-coming chefs in a national school dinners competition.

Megan, from Willington, and Melissa, from Crook, won the votes of primary school youngsters from Leeds, in the search to find the region's best school dinner.

The duo were asked to create a mouth-watering menu for the Grab 5! Schools Menu Challenge. Their main course and dessert had a £2 budget and had to take 45 minutes to prepare, using five portions of fruit and veg.

Staff at Parkside were subject to a series of tasting sessions before the duo's menu was chosen. The girls will now go forward to the UK finals at the Good Houskeeping Institute in London on November 29