A BISHOP'S Waltham schoolboy who served up a curry in a national culinary competition has won £200 to encourage him to keep cooking.

James Brownlie, of The Orchard, was chosen from thousands of families who took part in the Children's Food Trust's BIG Cookathon, designed to get families cooking and eating together at home.

The eight-year-old, with the help of his three-year-old twin brother and sister, Lucas and Eleanor, cooked Speedy Biryani for their parents, Caroline and Simon.

Caroline, 37, said James was inspired to cook after a fishmonger visited his school.

“He came home and told me his taste buds had changed,” she said. “Since then he's been interested in combining flavours and trying new foods.

“I'd baked with them before but I'd never considered making a main meal.”

The Children's Food Trust's annual Cookathon, the biggest mass cooking event in Britain, aims to get as many people as possible cooking a healthy dish together on the same day.

Linda Cregan, the trust's chief executive, said: “Cooking and eating together are such powerful ways to bring communities and families together, and that's what the BIG Cookathon is all about. We're so thrilled that James and his family took part.

“We've already helped three million people learn to cook through our cookery programme. Most of our club members use their new cooking skills at home, and more than half tell us they now eat more healthily - which shows that learning to cook really can make a big difference to how we eat.”