Emily Maitlis has praised the efforts of young Project ImpACT volunteers after leading an online cookathon on Sunday.

The BBC news presenter taught the teenage volunteers how to prepare one of her vegetarian favourites, chickpea stew. The resulting portions were distributed to food banks across London.

“Project ImpACT has left me hugely impressed,” Ms Maitlis said. “Young people are learning how to cook to provide food banks with extra meals during the pandemic and beyond.

“The ambassadors for this project have given their time and their enthusiasm to understand the pressure food poverty causes in this country — and to take actual steps to learn how they can help.”

Their dedication “over 15 long months” and encouragement of their peers was “amazing to see”.

Over the past year, they have clocked up 3,000 hours of volunteering, supporting 25 charities during lockdown.