TAKE 30 exciteable seven and eight year olds, a celebrity chef, large amounts of dough and what have you got?

Pizzas in all shapes and sizes - and they disappear in an instant!

A classful of youngsters from Devonshire Road Primary School, Bolton, had their first taste of pizza-making at Bolton town centre's new restaurant, The Olive Press in Nelson Square, and proved to top chef and owner Paul Heathcote that they have the potential of future cooks.

Paul was giving the pupils a fun lesson in making pizzas and he was "very impressed" with the lack of mess.

True, when it came to pizza toppings there was a certain amount of flinging on of ingredients. Some of the resulting pizzas were of a rather unconventional shape.

And, as Oliver Bromley discovered, what goes up must come down. In this instance, on to his shoe. "I was throwing the dough up and I missed it," he said.

"I only dropped it on my shoe, though, so I punched it a bit more with my fist and then put the toppings on."

Nor did this hinder the taste. "He ate it as soon as it was cooked," said fellow pupil Kamilla Gwo as she polished off her pizza of tomatoes, mushrooms and roasted sweetcorn.

"They all did really well," was Paul Heathcote's verdict. And teachers Lesley Allanson and Vicki Brierley felt that the cookery class and advice on healthy eating had been "really enjoyable" for all the youngsters.

The restaurant, which has its official opening on Saturday, is offering the chance to any young customers to make their own pizzas, early in the evenings and on Sundays.