A LITTLE chef with big dreams has reached the final of a national cooking competition after getting the bug for baking.

Cooper Wilson started cooking with her mum in their Marlborough home and quickly took an interest in baking.

Now aged 12 she has scooped the runners up prize in the Big Feastival "rising star" children's competition by wowing judges with her Oreo surprise cake.

The Big Feastival was held on Blur bassist Alex James' farm in Kingham, the Cotswolds.

The schoolgirl, from St John’s Marlborough school, made it through to the final of the competition after a public vote placed her in the top two.

She was beaten in the final round by winner Sienna de Vries, 12, from Cheltenham.

Cooper even got to meet Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown during the festival which took place over the August Bank Holiday.

Cooper, 12 said: “I love watching the Great British Bake off, I was sad when Mary Berry left but we still watched it this week.

“I prefer baking to cooking but I like both.

"I like making cakes the most."

Cooper's mum, Jade Wilson, added: “We started off baking together but then she took an interest and from then on she started to look things up herself.

“She is already much better than I am.

“The final was quite a nerve-wracking experience. When she was cooking in front of the judges there was a crowd watching and they were filming the whole thing. She was quite brave facing all that.”

Judges included celebrity chefs Nathan Outlaw, Tom Herbert and Nicky Corbishley.

Cooper, from Rabley Wood View, Marlborough, plans to continue baking and cooking after being commended by the famous chefs.