TOO many cooks can spoil the broth but one Herefordshire school is hoping an abundance of kitchen equipment won’t harm pupils’ culinary skills.

Children at Peterchurch Primary School proved they can stand the heat of the kitchen by winning a national competition to land 31 aprons, 18 hand mixers and 30 tea towels.

The pupils, aged between seven and 11, triumphed in the Cook for Life Challenge held as part of British Food Fortnight.

The competition was open to both primary and secondary schools and stressed the benefits of healthy food choices using fresh, local produce to provide nutritional balance.

The school even has its own vegetable patch which supplied some of the ingredients for the competition.

Pupils served up a tasty roast vegetable soup, Italian garlic bread, courgette muffins and butternut squash muffins.

Headteacher Candyce Garlick said: “We shared all the food the children prepared with the local community.”

The school has also won its third green eco flag for its work in areas such as bio-diversity and global education.

This includes implementing a travel plan to encourage walking to school, planting hedgerows and having seating areas with plants.

Assessors for the scheme commended the school’s enthusiasm for environmental education and for the participation of parents in projects.