Maria Anderson was part of a college team who took part in a canapé contest — and she received praise from the Countess of Wessex and Royal chef Mark Flanagan.

The prize for Maria and her colleagues is to be at St James’s Palace on 21 April to prepare finger food for 350 guests celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Craft Guild of Chefs.

Maria, 30, a former chef at Parkdean Holiday Park in Wemyss Bay, is studying at City of Glasgow College for an HNC Professional Cookery qualification.

She said: “Being at Buckingham Palace for a cook-off was amazing!

“I nearly cried when we found out we had won against two other colleges — we didn’t think it was going to happen.” Maria was in charge of a black pudding canapé and her efforts paid off.

She said: “We helped each other out and were cooking for around two hours, but it just flew by.

“The Countess was gorgeous and looked amazing.” The palace event has given the Greenock student an appetite to aim high in her chosen career.

She said: “It all happened so suddenly that it makes you think you can achieve anything.

“I would never have expected the opportunity to work in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace, but it’s all thanks to our lecturer, Gary Maclean, and City of Glasgow College.

“There are so many talented chefs in the college, and I was quite shocked when Gary asked me to be part of the team.” Gary, who led the student team to victory at Buckingham Palace, was full of praise for his protégés.

He said: “This competition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for my students and myself. Winning the competition for Scotland was unbelievable.

“We’re all looking forward to the event at St James’s Palace, where we will recreate the winning canapés for some of the world’s greatest chefs.”