A TEACHER and student from North Hill House School in Frome are among the top five finalists in The Big Lunch Recipe Search, a national competition celebrating shareable and creative dishes.

Melanie Booth from Westbury and Ben Le Bas from Bristol impressed judges with their butternut squash empanadas and strawberry and vanilla cheesecake, which organisers behind the food-sharing initiative hope will be cooked up and served at Big Lunch events around the country on June 7 and 8.

The competition was inspired by YouGov research commissioned by the Eden Project, who are behind The Big Lunch, which revealed that almost one in seven of all UK adults (14 per cent) never cook a completely new recipe, with around a quarter of people (24 per cent) admitting that a lack of ideas discourages them from cooking from scratch.

Organisers of The Big Lunch were ‘thrilled’ to receive recipe entries from across the UK, judged on shareability, value for money, creativity, and the stories behind them by chefs from the Eden Project, Greene King and Co-op.

Melanie Booth, head of food technology at North Hill House School, supported student Ben in entering The Big Lunch Recipe Search, while also submitting her own entry. Ben, aged 15, created a strawberry and vanilla cheesecake as part of his Food Technology coursework, using his newly acquired piping skills and highlighting seasonal British strawberries.

Ben said: “I’m so pleased to be a finalist in The Big Lunch Recipe Search! My cheesecake is a really delicious dessert that’s great for sharing, especially in the summer. I’ve always loved food but now I cook all the time at home. This is one of my family’s favourites.”

Melanie, 34, joins student Ben as a finalist with her own recipe for butternut squash empanadas. The teacher from Westbury is a keen cook at home and at school and invented her winning recipe during lockdown when she started growing her own vegetables. After trading her homegrown squash with neighbours for some chillis from their garden, Melanie’s now legendary empanadas were invented!

Melanie said: “This recipe is perfect for sharing with family, friends and neighbours. They’re tasty, nutritious and easy to make – and can easily be made vegan too! It’s so exciting to be recognised as a finalist alongside one of my amazing students. We’re looking forward to serving our special dishes at our school’s Big Lunch later this year.”

After beating off competition from other keen home cooks, Ben and Melanie are set to have their prizewinning recipes featured in a special Big Lunch online cookbook and will receive a gift voucher to spend on a Big Lunch buffet .

With less than two weeks to go until The Big Lunch on June 7 and 8, organisers are hoping this tastebud-tickling recipe selection will inspire people to cook up something new to share with their neighbours at a street party, picnic or get-together as part of the annual initiative.

To find out more and view the Big Lunch cookbook go to www.thebiglunch.com