A 13-year-old boy from Lymington has been named the Red Tractor beef and lamb Make it with Mince National Champion 2012 by celebrity chef and TV presenter James Martin.

As the winner of the EBLEX-backed competition, Keaton Leyland-Jones will enjoy a money-can’t-buy trip to London with an exclusive, behind the scenes visit to ‘Saturday Kitchen’ to watch an episode being filmed live. Keaton will also find out what it’s like to be a chef in a working kitchen as James Martin takes him on a tour of two of the capital’s most prestigious restaurants.

Winner Keaton Leyland-Jones and chef Jamie Martin.

Winner Keaton Leyland-Jones and chef Jamie Martin.

Keaton, who cooked up Spiced Beef Tartlets with Chorizo during the live regional finals, impressed the judges with his attention to detail and culinary skill beyond his years and beat hundreds of other entries to be named the 2012 national champion.

Keaton's winning dish, Spiced Beef Tartlets.

Keaton's winning dish, Spiced Beef Tartlets.

The Red Tractor beef and lamb Make it with Mince Challenge is a cookery competition for 11-16 year-olds who are passionate about food or would like to pursue a career in the food or catering industry. The challenge was developed by EBLEX to engage, educate and inspire young people to get hands-on cooking experience. Entrants were asked to submit their own original, nutritious and creative recipes using beef or lamb mince, together with a photograph of the finished dish. They also supplied a cooking method, time plan and cost breakdown within a strict budget of under £10.

EBLEX food advisor, Denise Spencer-Walker, said: “All of our regional finalists were fantastic young chefs, so it was a hard decision choosing Keaton over many other budding cooks. However, his ability and passion, as well as culinary skill beyond his years, gave him the winning edge. I hope Keaton’s success will inspire other young people to enter the competition and test out their recipes and cooking ability.”

To find out more visit www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk/mincechallenge.

This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.