Simon Rimmer and John Williams to cook with students at Liverpool food festival

Students from the North West are to work with the Ritz executive chef John Williams and celebrity chef Simon Rimmer to create a gala dinner for Liverpool's Business of Food and Drink festival.

Being held at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral on 11 July, the dinner is one of three events taking place in the city as part of its International Festival for Business 2014.

Each of the five courses will be prepared by student chefs from the area, overseen by Paul Askew, who is food and beverage director for Liverpool's London Carriage Works restaurant and chef patron of the new Art School restaurant.

Askew said: "We're absolutely delighted to have such a respected chef as John on board and, to have a local lad like Simon as host is a real coup.

"The scale of the event demonstrates just how the region is investing in the future by giving local students the chance to show off their remarkable skill levels."

At the event John Williams will reveal the name of the winner of the ‘Battle of the North West' inter-collegiate cooking competition, which will see students from City of Liverpool, St Helens, Wirral Metropolitan and L20 @ Hugh Baird colleges put their cooking skills to the test.

Tickets for the gala dinner are £125 + VAT.