A top Norfolk chef was full of praise for a school's new food technology room, designed to inspire children to take an interest in food and learn how to cook as independently as they can.

Galton Blackiston, chef at Morston Hall, praised the new facility at Harford Manor School in Norwich, which has been designed to replicate a domestic kitchen, with four separate kitchen areas and a variety of appliances and equipment available.

A spokesman for the school said: 'He talked about how good the project was and how his kitchen was occasionally quite stressful, but that cooking was really fun and it was really important for young people to learn how much fun it is to cook. He offered to come and do some cooking for them.

'He also said what a worthwhile project the new food room was and how impressed he was with the facilities we had got here.'

The new room includes some specialist equipment, including an adjustable height hob and sink unit, transparent toasters and kettles and a speaking microwave.

The room has a shared area for group working and an interactive height adjustable screen, supported by a small monitor in each area.

The school raised the funding for the project over a three year period, which included receiving grant funding from the Geoffrey Watling Trust and the ACT Foundation.

The Friends of Harford Manor School have also raised a significant amount for the project, and there have been donations from many organisations and individuals associated with the school.

The spokesman added: 'We are extremely grateful for everyone's generosity. We are very proud of the result and our students are already enjoying the exciting new facilities.'

The school is a complex needs school for pupils with severe learning difficulties.

Many of the students are autistic and several have additional disabilities and difficulties.

The school did research on similar provisions across the county before consulting with stakeholders.