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Aimed to develop entrants’ passion for cooking, the contest hopes to provide insight into the hospitality industry and a career in catering, while opening the door for future training and skills development.

To enter, teams of two must submit a two-cover, main course recipe at no more than £5 (or the euro equivalent) online by 9 November.

Those shortlisted will compete in a regional heat (January 2019), with the grand final taking place next March, at the Belfast Met.

Mount Charles business development and retention manager, Caitriona Lennox, said: “We’re delighted that SuperValu has come on-board this year and we look forward to working together, to give students the opportunity to showcase their culinary skills, and inspire them to think about healthy eating and the origin of their food.

“We were thrilled with the number of entries last year and are calling on schools that haven’t taken part yet, to grab their aprons and join the fun.

“Feedback from participating schools has been amazing. Teachers have told us that the competition noticeably boosted their pupils’ self-esteem and gave them so much more confidence in their cooking ability.

“The overall standard of the competition was very high but the winning team from Ballymena Academy, created a dish that was of restaurant standard and I can’t wait to see what all the teams produce this year.”

John Brolly, Irish News marketing manager, added: “(Big School Cook Off) is an excellent initiative that all schools should embrace, to get young people to take an interest in food.

"We are looking for pupils to slice, dice and cook their way through a number of challenges so that they can walk away as winner of the Big School Cook Off."

To enter or for more information, visit: http://www.irishnews.com/offers/big-school-cook-off/.