PRIMARY school children have been having special lessons in baking from expert pastry chef and chocolatier Ben Ellis to help them get to grips with creating food from scratch.

The lessons at Bedale Primary School have been suspended pending the coronavirus outbreak but have been so popular it's hoped they can carry on later in the year.

Ben and Vicky Ellis from Leeming Bar, near Bedale, started the bakery club to teach primary children to understand basic ingredients and how to use them to make food using different techniques.

Vicky said: "We believe it is fundamental to teach children at a young age what are essentially basic baking methods and skills in a world where fast food is too readily available. They have so much fun in the sessions and they inadvertently learn essential life skills such as sharing, listening, patience and concentration.

"We also throw in a little maths too when asking them to work out the amount of ingredients. Most children are shy in the beginning but within half an hour have bags of confidence. It’s really wonderful to see. Their son Samuel,10, also helps, he added: "I think it’s great, children can experience what it’s like to make things from scratch and seeing first hand that it’s worth seeing things through and the process the ingredients go through."