CUMBRIAN young farmers were among those to don their aprons and take to the kitchen as part of a national cooking competition.

The budding chefs were challenged to mastermind a meal that championed seasonal British produce.

The National Federation of Young Farmers (NFYFC) Isolation Challenge Finals Day Ready Steady Cook Competition took place last Saturday.

Lowick YFC member Ruth Cooper survived the heat in the kitchen to take a well-deserved first place.

The 17-year-old explained the aim of the Ready Steady Cook Challenge: "We had to produce a meal that championed seasonal British produce using all of the ingredients given in one of two bags.

"The bag I chose contained British lamb, asparagus and eggs. I created Lamb Stroganoff - diced lamb, onion, mushrooms, creme fraiche and Worcestershire sauce, and served it with egg fried rice - basmati rice, spring onion and eggs and steamed asparagus.

"I spent around half-an-hour preparing my ingredients and another 45 minutes to cook the full dish."

Ruth who is an active young farmer and also chair of the NFYFC Youth Forum sailed through the first round of the competition and was put through to the finals along with five other young farmers from around the UK.

She said she was 'delighted' to take the coveted first place which she won through securing the highest number of votes on the NFYFC Instagram and Facebook pages on the day of the finals.

Anyone wishing to become a young farmer or wanting to find out more Cumbria YFC should contact County Office on 01768866550 or countyoffice@cumbriayfc.c.uk for more details.