A CELEBRITY chef gave students in Ascot a culinary masterclass this week.

TV chef James Tanner visited LVS Ascot on Thursday, March 8 to a group of GCSE Food students a crash course in cooking, and stuck around to serve up meals at lunchtime.

James, who became famous on Ready, Steady Cook before going on to Saturday Kitchen, ITV’s Lorraine and Saturday Cookbook, demonstrated the techniques that have made him one of the most respected chefs in the country, while giving tips on how students can improve their skills to obtain the best possible exam results in food preparation and nutrition.

At lunchtime, he took over one of the canteen’s food stations to cook up a range of tasty treats, including tempura battered pollock and breaded hoki goujons.

LVS Ascot’s Teacher in Charge of Food Science Melanie Holloway said: “Our students learned that the food industry is very diverse with lots of career and travel opportunities within the industry. James’ passion for food was evident and very infectious. The students now feel confident using more technical knife skills and are already using them in their lessons.”