THE cook of the moment, Mary Berry, officially opened a new kitchen at a school in Tylers Green- 21 years after she opened the original school kitchen.

Pupils and staff at Tylers Green Middle School in Cock Lane welcomed the Great British Bake Off judge on Wednesday.

Mary, who lives in Penn, joined the children in a school assembly before unveiling a plaque and officially opening the kitchen, which has been updated.

Ten aspiring young cooks proudly showed the results from their own Bake Off, which Mary tasted.

She said, as she cut the ribbon: "I am really honoured to open the new food technology area and hope that it inspires you all to be good cooks."

A year six pupil called Anna Bromley baked her own special cake for Mary which said “Thank you” on it and the celebrity cook took home.

Anna said: "It was a bit scary having a famous cook try my cake but she said it was nice, so I was really pleased."

Her mum, Jo, regularly helps with baking classes at the school and said her daughter is a keen baker.

She said: “Mary Berry is one of her idols- it was absolutely a dream come true.

“I burst into tears when I was told [Anna would meet Mary]. We watched all of The Great British Bake Off.

“I think Anna was a bit overwhelmed by it all.”

Headteacher Andy Tagg said The Penn and Tylers Green Residents’ Society and the school's Friends’ Association helped raise funds to install an updated food technology area.

He added: "It is an important life skill that children learn how to make nutritious food that they enjoy as part of their journey into self-sufficient adulthood."

Mary Berry, who was seen emerging from a wedding cake on Strictly Come Dancing at the weekend, will be on our TV screens this Christmas with Paul Hollywood in The Great British Bake Off Christmas Special.

It will be the programme's last outing on BBC2 before it switches to BBC1 next year.