IT’S not often you see a teenage boy create a prize-winning chocolate cake at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.But Andrew Lucas, of Mortdale, did just that last week.The year 8 student at Sydney Technical High School at Bexley put his skills to the test for the first time at the show with winning results in the arts and crafts under-17’s category.

He won first-place for his round chocolate cake and picked up second place for his coconut macaroons.

Andrew was inspired to start cooking when he was eight after watching his grandmother bake.

In the lead-up to the competition, his grandmother was watching him in the kitchen and passing on advice.

‘‘I would practice on the weekends and my grandma would supervise,’’ Andrew said. ‘‘She would never help me cook but just tell me what I could do to make it better.’’

When Andrew is not playing cricket or soccer he is in the kitchen trying out new recipes. He does not rely on a recipe and prefers a trial-and-error method to perfect his tasty treats.

‘‘Cooking is fun and I like to see what kinds of things I can make,’’ Andrew said.

‘‘The Royal Easter Show is the main competition for cooking and I want to enter again next year and see how far I can go.’’