Grease is the word for pupils from Thanet who have been taking tips to give them the edge in an upcoming cookery contest.

Year ten youngsters from King Ethelbert School in Birchington are preparing for the KM Kent Cooks competition before the November 4 deadline.

The food technology pupils are getting into good habits in the kitchen following a visit from Richard Pettitt of Southern Water. The water regulations enforcement officer advised the students on how to properly dispose of fat while cooking.

Mr Pettitt said: “Southern Water is really pleased to be supporting Kent Cooks for the fourth time. The standard of entries continues to improve and the judging gets harder. The competition is a great way for us to spread our message about ways our customers can work with us to keep our sewers flowing and to avoid flooding.

“One of the simplest ways is to ask our young cooks not to dispose of fat, oil and grease down the sink, but instead to use a fat trap.”

Fat traps are devices being promoted by Southern Water into which people pour used cooking oil and grease and then throw away with their household waste. Or cooks can recycle the collected waste by adding seeds and making it into fat balls to feed the birds.

Kent Cooks is now taking entries from five to 18-year-olds and categories include primary school, secondary school and families for adult-and-child entries.

Finalists will be invited to attend the live cook-off on November 27 at East Kent College where category winners and the overall KM Kent Cooks champion will be announced.

Kent Cooks is also supported by Countrystyle, Mini Babybel, Three R’s Teacher Recruitment, DFDS Seaways, Kent Cookery School, Golding Homes, Orbit South, Brakes, Carefree Comms, VooServers and Licensing Consultancy Services.

For full entry details, visit www.kentcooks.co.uk.