A stunning combination of homemade ravioli and a healthy lava cake dessert saw a budding chef scoop a regional cooking prize.

Shaima Abduirahman, who studies at Park High School in Stanmore, won the North-West London heat of the Rotary Club’s Young Chef competition.

She wowed the judges with her spinach and ricotta ravioli with tomato sauce and cocoa, yoghurt and beetroot cake – all of which could be made for less than £10.

A total of 14 pupils took part in the heat, which was held on Shaima’s home turf, as they were given an hour and a half to present their two-course creations.

One of the judges, Peter Bradley of Edgware and Stanmore Rotary Club and leader of charity Food Cycle Hub, explained how the competition is going from strength to strength.

He said: “It’s always an incredibly popular event and the standard is getting better and better each year.

“Cooking is a life skill for young people and this completion gives them the chance to earn some work experience in the industry.

“It’s great to see so much talent and passion for cooking, the boys and girls, whatever their background, all seemed to enjoy it.”

Peter was impressed with everything he saw on the day but noted how Shaima’s overall combination was just too good.

He said: “She’d made her own pasta, which is hard enough, then to keep the ravioli all together and combine those flavours was sensational.

“And her cake was extremely healthy as it didn’t use eggs and had very little sugar. The sweetness came from the beetroot, the moistness came from the yoghurt and the cocoa topped it all off – it was perfect.”

He was joined by chef David Perron, who works at the Savoy Hotel, and Harrow’s Deputy Mayor Kareema Marikar, who used to work at a top hotel in Sri Lanka, in judging the competition.

The trio were forced to take into account that some of the ovens struggled with operational issues and, as a gesture of good will, the Rotary Club has agreed to donate a new oven to the school.

“It was rather unfortunate as some competitors couldn’t get everything out and we had to consider this,” Peter explained.

“But it does mean that they’ve now got a new oven, which we at Edgware and Stanmore were more than happy to donate.”

Shaima will be joined by the runner-up from this heat, Samiya Hamel, of Kingsbury High School, in going on to the overall London competition in February.

Both young chefs will harbour ambitions of winning the national competition as they continue their food journeys.