A trainee chef from Oxhey has had a taste of cooking on the front line.

Victoria Chidgey, 17, visited Colchester Garrison to compete in a Ready Steady Cook style competition.

Victoria, a student of Westminster Kingsway College, was part of the winning team led by lecturer Ashley Spencer and fellow student Luca Meola.

They competed alongside two other college teams and ten military teams in the event called Exercise Eagle's Aga.

Provided with military ration packs that included tins of stewed steak, sausages, bacon grill, tuna, tomatoes, baked beans, vegetables and corned beef plus powdered egg, seasoning, pasta and rice they had to prepare a meal for 20 soldiers.

In addition, the teams could use their own food as long as they did not spend over £5.

But before the teams could start cooking, they had to put up their tents and assemble the field kitchens where they would be working.

Unleashing their creativity, the team came up with the winning menu of sweet and sour chicken with Thai tuna noodle salad, hot pot with a mash top, bean and pea enchiladas, glazed carrots and cauliflower mornay.

Victoria, who is currently studying for her diploma in professional cooking, said: "I was surprised by the rations. I thought we were just going to get a sack of potatoes."

Once the competition was over the students then took part in an orienteering exercise which involved extracting themselves from a mock minefield and defending a small base, in order to show the students that army chefs are soldiers first and foremost.

Victoria enjoyed the experience but when asked if she had plans to join the army in the future she said, "Although it was a fantastic experience I am hoping to specialise in a different type of cooking in the future. If I'm lucky, I'd like to work in a Michelin star restaurant."