COOKING lunch for 15 burly builders would be a daunting task for the most accomplished of chefs - but a class of Year 11 students at Neale-Wade Community College made it look a breeze.

The students designed everything about the Olympic-themed meal and served up the culinary treat to the team working on the March school’s revamp.

Student Chris McCready was welcoming guests when he said: “We wanted to give something back to the builders, to say thank your for building our new school. Everyone worked together to create the meal.”

Each student studying for their GCSE in hospitality and catering made a sweet and savoury dish. Included on the menu was triathlon tomato soup, canoeing cottage pie, pentathlon pizza and fencing fruit pie.

Teacher Pat Knott said: “We had to think about the people we would be feeding and settled on a menu of stodgy man food, with favourite dishes including curry and jam roly poly.”

Eleven students prepared and served lunch last Wednesday, with another group doing the same last Thursday. Preparing lunch was part of the student’s GCSE coursework.

Teacher Zoe Clarke said: “The students tested the food before deciding on the menu and created the invitations and decorations. They chose an Olympic theme because men like sport.”

Student Lauren McMillan had made sticky toffee pudding and sweet and sour pork. She said: “We really enjoyed the challenge. It was all a bit panicky as we tried to get everything ready on time, but it worked out really well.”

The builders had pre-ordered their food from the extensive menu and visited the food room to collect their lunch.

Builder Jerry Eastley, from construction firm Galliford Try, said: “It has been lovely to be invited in for lunch. I am living away from home at the moment and it is great to be given a tasty lunch.”

Ben Flores from MJS Construction, of March, added: “It is really nice to come into school for lunch, we did some of the underground drainage for the building work.”

As they left, the builders were each given an evaluation form to give their views on the food, the menu, the students’ welcome and how the food was arranged and presented.