A WHOLE new world of school dinners has opened up at a Worcester special school since members of the sixth form started cooking.

Seven pupils, aged 16 to 19, are involved in the Tuesday culinary sessions at Manor Park School, choosing their recipes from the internet.

This week, prompted by news about Comic Relief, they picked a menu with an African influence, including couscous, spicy beans, Senegalese chicken, salad and a tomato and cheese bread.

They made enough for 25 guests, including fellow sixth formers, staff, governors and friends, who were invited to give donations to Marie Curie cancer relief in exchange for their lunch.

"We go shopping on Monday and buy everything at Sainsbury's," said Tom Fleming, who helped make the southern beans and the cucumber and mint raita, besides whipping the cream for the African sunrise dessert.

Teacher Richard Bird said previous weeks' menus had included dishes from France, Italy, Turkey, China, Thailand and Zimbabwe, as well as traditional British fare.

Most menus include a healthy plate of salad, which is a speciality of another pupil, Jenny Hitchings.

"If it's someone's birthday, they can choose the menu. Otherwise we talk about items we have seen and heard on the news and then look up the country and try to find something we can identify with it," said Mr Bird.