A SUPERMARKET Saturday girl has been crowned the crème de la crème of chocolate makers.

Zara Snell, who works in Waitrose at Petersfield, has won the national Great British Spiced Chocolate Challenge.

The talented 19-year-old wowed the panel of prestigious judges with her Moroccan Rose chocolates in the competition which attracted 70 entries.

The aim was to create a spiced chocolate from a choice of more than 200 spices, and Zara, a student at the National Baking School, rose to the challenge.

She said: “I didn’t think I would make it through the first round!”

Zara, from four Marks, has has won the trip of a lifetime to Grenada next year for the island’s Chocolate Festival. Her chocolates are now selling in Selfridges too, until Christmas.

“I’m so looking forward to heading off to Grenada for the Chocolate Festival – I’ve found it really inspirational to work with the spices for this year’s competition and can’t wait to try them out over there and meet the farmers themselves.”

The judges, who included culinary editors and a TV chef, though Zara’s confectionary was “absolutely delicious”.