Yes Peas young chef of the year

Nationwide competition: Young Pea Chef of the Year

Industry campaign Yes Peas! has partnered with Waitrose to launch a new nationwide competition to find the Young Pea Chef of the Year.

Backed by Yes Peas! ambassador chef Rachel Green, children aged four to 12 are invited to create a dish using peas, and submit a video or photo with recipe and method details.

This will then be judged by a panel including Green, Waitrose frozen foods buying manager Michael Simpson-Jones, and representatives from Birds Eye and Pinguin Food.

“The amount of peas grown in the UK each year is equivalent to about 70,000 football pitches and no matter the season, freshly frozen peas are available throughout the year,” said Green.

“We’re looking forward to showcasing this versatile vegetable, while finding a future star chef along the way!”

Simpson-Jones said Waitrose is “proud” to be sponsoring the Young Pea Chef of the Year competition. “We hope the competition inspires budding young chefs to get creative in the kitchen with this great British vegetable,” he said.

The finalists with the most votes will win £500 of Waitrose cookery equipment, and the winner and nine runners up will be featured in a Yes Peas! recipe book to be distributed nationwide.

The competition will close for entries on 12 February 2016. Entrants must submit a recipe using frozen peas and submit ingredients and cooking method with an accompanying video or photo by email or post.