A TV chef is helping aspiring cooks create new dishes using unwanted food donations.

Jamie Oliver has been inspiring Rachel Wilkes, a community cook from Bolton, as part of the Tesco Community Cookery School.

Ms Wilkes is from Starmount Villa Residential Care Home, one of 7,000 groups to receive free surplus food from Tesco stores via charity, Fareshare.

During the course she learned everything from knife skills and nutrition to recipes for versatile base sauces and attendees received cooking equipment, plus a folder of Jamie’s Oliver’s recipes.

Speaking after the course, she said: “I had a lovely day meeting new people where we could share tips and ideas on how to use surplus foods. The chefs were extremely knowledgeable and I feel I have learnt a lot of basic tips and skills from them."

Mr Oliver added: “This is exactly what this programme is all about – learning new skills in the kitchen that can be passed on, all while helping to fight food waste."