COOKING does not get any tougher than this.

Ciara Richardson and Heather Needham have fought it out to be crowned Junior MasterChef Bolton 2011.

The youngsters slaved over a hot stove, cooking two courses in the final of the competition, held at Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

Judges then faced a tough decision between Menu A and Menu B — and the identity of the winning chef was only revealed to them after they had made their choice.

In the end, they chose Menu B — bacon, onion and parmesan tart followed by sticky toffee pudding — prepared by Ciara from Farnworth.

The 10-year-old, who regularly cooks spaghetti bolognese at home for her dad, said: “I was very nervous at first but when I got through to the final I gained more confidence.

“It was great when I won, the judges said they liked my sticky toffee sauce.

“Sticky toffee pudding is my specialty.”

The two finalists have now won the chance to cook a special meal for their families with the help of renowned local chef Mike Harrison.

They will prepare the feast in the Bolton Lads and Girls Club kitchen and they will dine in the club boardroom.

Heather, aged 11, from Little Lever, said: “I enjoyed the competition.

“It was really good fun and I learned lots of cooking skills like chopping and remembering recipes.

“I’m looking forward to cooking with a real chef and getting some tips from him.”

Junior Club session coordinator Carly Brown said: “We’re keen on promoting healthy eating so with MasterChef being on the television we thought we’d hold our own version.

It went really well a