CREATIVE Mark Carroll, a chef for 12 years, has returned to college to complete his level three diploma.

He has worked at five star hotels and catered for Grand Prix, MTV Europe movie awards and British Open golf events.

Mark, aged 28, from Farnworth, currently works for Lord Derby at his estate in Knowsley and hopes to become a lecturer.

He said: “I have a great passion for food.

“If you use simple, fresh ingredients, you can create a wonderful dish.

“Here is a great way to feed your family two healthy meals out of one chicken. Total cost for two dishes is £11.50.”

Pot roast chicken

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic

2 leeks, sliced into rounds

2 bay leaves

2 sticks of celery, roughly

chopped 4 small carrots,

peeled 2 parsnips, peeled and halved lengthways

2.4kg chicken

400ml chicken stock

Dumpling ingredients:

125g wholemeal flour

60g suet

1 tsp baking powder small amount of water

Method:

Heat the oven to 160 degrees (gas mark 203). Heat the oil in a large, heatproof casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes. Tuck in the bay leaves, celery and root vegetables. Add the chicken, breast side up, and season with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Add approximately 4 pints of chicken stock.

Cover and place in oven for one and three quarter hours, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Increase the heat to 180 degrees (gas mark 4) and remove the lid 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Add dumplings rolled into balls the size of golf balls.

Remove chicken and dumplings and set aside. Put the remaining broth through a food processor and blend until smooth.

Serve soup with crusty bread and dumplings

Chicken fried rice

Ingredients:

cooked chicken pieces

1 onion, sliced

200g beansprouts

500g cooked cold rice

3 eggs beaten

1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp oil

Method:

Heat half oil in a wok or big frying pan. Add eggs and lightly scramble, then set aside. Heat up pan again until smoking hot. Add onions and carrots and stir fry. Add rice, beansprouts and chicken and keep stirring for 3 minutes. Add egg and soy sauce