A COMPETITION in Christchurch is encouraging youngsters to look at Fairtrade products.

The Christchurch Food Festival Education Trust is asking pupils to come up with a healthy recipe using at least three Fair Trade products and then illustrate it on paper or card.

Pupils who have produced the best entries will be invited to the demonstration marquee on the first Friday of the Food & Wine Festival where they should be prepared to talk about their project.

The finalists will be judged by a panel comprising David Rogers, president of Christchurch Rotary, who are financing the competition, Vicki Hallam, chairman of the Food Festival organising committee, and Adam Terpening, chairman of Christchurch Fair Trade.

First prize is £40 with second and third placed entries winning £30 and £20 respectively.

Mary Reader, president of the Food & Wine Festival and trustee of the Education Trust, said: “The Fair Trade organisation is trying to encourage Christchurch to become a Fair Trade town.

“We felt that it was important to reflect this in the competition for primary schools held through the Education Trust schools cookery programme.

“It has fitted in well with our ethos of encouraging pupils to be more aware of where and how food is produced and to ensure that farmers are paid a fair amount for the food which they produce.”

The first entries in the competition have already been submitted and primary school pupils are being reminded that all entries should be delivered to Christchurch Information Centre in the High Street by April 21.