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CBBC presenter Stefan Gates has teamed up with Seasonal Berries and The Children’s Food Trust to call on little chefs across England to get involved in a recipe competition to help teach kids about the health benefits of eating berries and cooking from scratch.

According to The Children’s Food Trust there is still a long way to go to wean children off junk-food diet - with a third of children obese or overweight by tapping into their receptiveness to culinary education.

The Ready Berry Cook competition, open to all UK schools, nurseries and children’s centres, is calling on all primary and secondary school age children across England to invent their own sweet or savoury berry recipe.

The winning team, announced in January, will be invited to cook with Stefan Gates, £500 worth of kitchen equipment and the recipe will be published on the Children’s Food Trust website. The national runner-up will receive a £100 Asda voucher and a blender, with seven regional winners receiving a blender to rustle up healthy berry smoothies.
 
To enter the competition, which is live now until 30 November 2013, cooking teams must first register their interest on the Children’s Food Trust website (http://www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk/schools/ready-berry-cook) where recipe inspiration is available to download, and they will receive a £10 Asda voucher. Once the children have held their berry cooking session they must submit their entry form, complete with a photo and description, to the same website.

Rob Rees, chairman of The Children’s Food Trust said: “Getting children cooking – tasting, feeling, smelling and playing with ingredients from an early age – has a huge impact on what they eat and their willingness to try new foods. Berries are particularly versatile for children to use, so we can’t wait to see their recipe ideas.”
 
Laurence Olins, chairman of the Seasonal Berries campaign said: “Children naturally enjoy berries because they are sweet and easy to eat but we want to encourage them to use them in new, imaginative ways. With more antioxidants, vitamins and essential minerals than most other fruits, berries are a fantastic addition to muesli bars made with oats and seeds, or a wholemeal muffin.”