Students from Havering College got a taste of grandeur as they catered for the Mayor of Havering at a charity fundraiser.

The three cookery students prepared a buffet for Cllr Lynden Thorpe and her 24 guests at a reception in Hornchurch’s stately Langtons hall.

Budding chefs 16-year-old Charles Jones, of Dagenham, and Hornchurch teens Tomas Lowrie, 17, and Mason Smith, 16, put on the spread for senior councillors past and present, including wraps, tarts and miniature mince pies.

The event was part of the Mayor’s Appeal 2012/13. The money it raised will go to Cllr Thorpe’s chosen charities for her year in office – St Francis Hospice, the Havering Theatre Trust and Romford Autistic Group Support (Rags).