Children in Whitehill & Bordon have got a taste for cooking through a new course being run in the town.

Eight budding chefs took the four-week course, run by the CM Foundation and supported by grants from local East Hampshire district councillors.

It was held at Café 1759 in June and July and the youngsters were given all the ingredients they needed to become confident and self-sufficient in the kitchen.

CM Foundation manager Samantha Paulton ran the event with The Street Food Project’s development chef John Brooks.

Ms Paulton said: “The impact of the pandemic and the cost of living on young people has been huge for their personal, social and emotional development.

“By giving them basic cooking skills in an exciting and engaging way we are helping them to take a bit more control over their lives. They can help their parents prepare meals now and they will be able to eat healthily and affordably in the future.”

The course taught the basics of nutrition, how to use basic ingredients and how to use a cooker efficiently.

It showed families where to find support with energy costs and showed the children how to create home-made meals on a budget.

Whitehill Chase councillors Sally Pond and Paul Wigman each gave a £671.35 grant from their councillor funds.

Cllr Pond said: “The street-cooking course has been a wonderful opportunity for a few lucky boys and girls to get a good grounding in how to prepare simple meals.”

Cllr Wigman added: “You could see the children were really enjoying the course and getting so much out of it too.”