A NO-holds-barred recipe book featuring indulgent calorie-laden desserts has earned a team of sixth-formers a glowing accolade.

Pupils at the King's School, Worcester, have earned themselves a place in the national final of the Young Enterprise Awards with the recipe book, which features only full-fat puddings.

The Young Enterprise Awards scheme sees pupils form companies, which they run for 12-months exactly like any commercial enterprise would be run.

The King's School team - called Just Desserts - has been so successful it has reached the national final of the awards, due to take place at the Savoy Hotel, in London.

"They are delighted to have beaten hundreds of different companies in the Midlands to get to this stage," said Jean Vivian, link teacher at the King's School.

Just Desserts will be one of only nine companies from all over the country in the national final, which runs from Sunday, July 21, to Tuesday, July 23.

They have waged a long and arduous battle to get there, with more than 78 Young Enterprise companies set up in the two counties this school year.

On Wednesday, May 1, they beat off the other finalists from the two counties in the local final, at University College Worcester, to gain a place in the West Midlands regional final, held in Wolverhampton on Tuesday, which they won.

Ms Vivian said the students, who were in the middle of their AS exams, had invested a lot of their own time in the project at evenings, weekends and holidays and had shown "true dedication".

The recipe book is on sale in Hammicks bookshop, Worcester, Andy's News, Worcester, and at the Vineyard Restaurant, in the Malvern Theatres complex, which also offered to make some of the desserts for the regional final.

"They were really delicious," said Ms Vivian, who sampled the Bailey's Crme Brule and the Choc Chip Buns.

The aim of the book was to "produce a pudding cookery book that anyone could use", particularly young people.

The team was helped by business advisers Elizabeth Gordon, from Baker Gordon chartered accountants, and Karen Lewis, of KD Bancroft, Worcester.

"The business advisers are critical - they provide business support and encouragement," said Anita Applebee, Young Enterprise strategic development manager in the two counties.

"I'm delighted for the students and very proud," she added.

"It's lovely that we've got this far."