SOME of the county's best student foodies have gained the chance to work alongside Britain's top chefs.

Student chefs from Whitby have been selected to take part in the Whitby Fish & Ships festival which is being held next month.

The brand new festival will take place on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19.

According to event organisers, it is the first event of its kind to be held in Whitby so far.

The group of specially-selected 17-year-olds are currently studying a hospitality and catering course at Scarborough TEC, but will take centre stage at the festival.

Dylan Hartley, Sam Scott, Lizzie Myers and Maggie Lubaszewska, will take part in live cooking demonstrations in front of an audience of hundreds.

The 17-year-olds will be cooking alongside well-known celebrity chefs, Brian Turner, Jean-Christophe Novelli, and Rob Green.

Louise Leadley, course programme leader, said: “Whitby’s Fish & Ships Festival is an excellent opportunity for Yorkshire to recognise its exciting new talent.

"Growing up around Whitby, it’s easy to be inspired by the sensational seafood we have on our doorsteps, and the students have all been hand-picked because of their skill, passion for cooking and their desire to succeed in the industry.

"Cooking in the festival kitchen will be a new experience for them – one that I’m sure will be invaluable to them in their future careers.

"It's important that we continue to celebrate the heritage of Whitby which has a strong and illustrious place in the history of the Fishing Industry in the UK.”

The town has become long associated with its fish and chips heritage.

The Magpie Café, overlooking the harbour on Pier road, gained the title as one of the UK's most well-known fish and chip restaurants.

Ahead of the festival, student Sam Scott said: "It's good to be able to show off what we can do as there aren't many people who can do this at our age. You don't expect Whitby to be holding a festival like this and I'm really looking forward to taking part."

Whilst Maggie Lubaszewska said: "It's important to show the history of our town and taking part in the Festival is going to be fantastic for our community – it's also going to be really interesting to meet the other Chefs and share their recipes."

Janet Deacon, area director for Welcome To Yorkshire, added: “It’s a great time to be casting a spotlight on Whitby as a fishing town."