COOKERY students at Lavington School will be aiming to impress customers in their pop-up restaurant.

The eatery is back by popular request on the evening of February 27 and has been inundated with bookings.

Ana Woodman, food technology teacher and head of design technology at the school in Market Lavington, said: “We ran the pop-up restaurant two years ago and it was sold out with 44 covers.

“This year we set ourselves a limit of 50 covers but because of the demand we increased it to 63 and we sold out in the first week of launching it. We are holding a waiting list. The students were amazed at it selling out and there is nervous excitement among them in anticipation of it.”

A total of 38 Year 11 GCSE food technology students have planned the menu, costed it, advertised it and are honing the dishes they will be serving up.

They have chosen the menu to reflect the seasonaility of ingredients while supporting local food businesses as part of the course’s fair trade and environmental design topic.

Three students will be in charge of the dining service with two in the restaurant and one in charge of the kitchen under the supervision of Mrs Woodman.

She said it was unusual for a school to have its own pop-up restaurant but her students were more than capable of delivering.

She said: “The last time we did it guests said the food was delicious, ambitious and very skilful. Most guests were amazed that the whole meal had been designed and created by a team of 15 to 16-year-olds.”

The pop-up restaurant is called Eleven, to mark the age at which the students join Lavington School and the year they end their time there. It will be in the art room of the school’s design technology block.