A CHEESY mum from London Colney is in with a chance of winning the Leerdammer Master Mum of the year competition. Hazel Russell, 43, is competing against two other mums from across the country, one from Buckinghamshire and another from Edinburgh, to win t

A CHEESY mum from London Colney is in with a chance of winning the Leerdammer Master Mum of the year competition.

Hazel Russell, 43, is competing against two other mums from across the country, one from Buckinghamshire and another from Edinburgh, to win the cheese-themed competition which asks UK mums to come up with a tasty meal using Leerdammer semi-hard cheese.

Hazel, who only entered the competition on the closing date, invented an autumn vegetable and Leerdammer risotto using her own home-grown squash, a dish which must beat a Leerdammer tomato tart and a twice-baked souffl� surprise.

Hazel's risotto was one of 200 entries and, to demonstrate her cookery skills, she and her fellow competitors were filmed making their dishes in February and the videos have been posted on the Leerdammer website for the public to vote for.

Hazel, a versatile cook who trials new dishes on her growing son, said that she was thrilled to be chosen as one of the finalists: "I knew I had some good ideas but it was still an exciting surprise to be in the final three. I think I have a good chance of winning but all the finalist's recipes sound delicious so I imagine it will be very close."

To vote for Hazel's risotto and help her win the Leerdammer Master Mum title, visit www.leerdammer.co.uk/competition.html