Sixteen-year-old wins Springboard's FutureChef title

Sixteen-year-old Rebecca Toppin has scooped education trust Springboard's prestigious title of FutureChef 2007.

To win the nationwide competition, the teenager cooked and presented a menu of roast crown of chicken served with a chunky vegetable broth, followed by orange and cinnamon clafouti served with vanilla ice-cream for judges.

Judging chairman, Cyrus Todiwala, said: "Rebecca had excellent menu balance. The chicken was juicy and cooked to perfection. This was simple cooking at its very best."

The prizes include an all expenses paid trip to a London hotel, dinner and a sensational day's cookery with a top celebrity chef, followed by lunch in that chef's restaurant, courtesy of Compass Group, as well as a family break at a Center Parcs village; £500, courtesy of City & Guilds; and a year's subscription to Caterer and Hotelkeeper.

Runners up were Philip Oberhoffer, 14 from Norfolk, and Philip Ferguson, 12, from Cornwall, and Ellie Schofield, 15, from the West Midlands. The judging panel included Brian Turner, Lesley Waters, Cyrus Todiwala, William Curley, John Williams and Michael Caines.

By Emily Manson

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