I'm helping nurture a new generation of talent

I know, I know. We were supposed to have dispensed with child labour many years ago. But, to be honest, I couldn't turn her down.

Let me explain.

I run courses for kids at my cookery school, at Brompton, near Shrewsbury, and they are always great fun. We show kids the basics and they can roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.

They love to cook, they love to experiment and they love to show their parents the things that they've made.

Of all the courses that I teach, there's something very special about the ones for kids.

Before a recent cookery course, I was planning what to do and my daughter, Ella, who is four, decided she wanted to be involved.

"Daddy, can I be your assistant?" she asked me with a smile.

Well, who could refuse a request like that?

Now, before you think I've taken advantage of a four-year-old child, let me make one thing perfectly clear. I paid Ella for her services. She received a £2 fee for her services as sous chef.

And very happy she was too with it.

Of course, there were one or two barriers that we had to overcome. Four-year-olds are tiny and Ella is no exception. She had to stand on a stool so that she could reach the work surface and see the other kids.

She also had to overcome a natural shyness, which she did. To be honest, she was brilliant. I may have to give her a rise: £2.50, or even £3.

Ella is probably the best young chef in Shropshire. As her father I'm biased, of course. But she shows terrific potential. She's got competition, however, particularly from some of the kids who take part in the workshops.

They are a bright bunch and they are getting better all of the time. When Ella came and lent me a hand, we had four children cooking with us.

One of them is a regular face at Brompton Cookery School. Her grandma books her onto courses and she's like a sponge, soaking up all of the information that we pass on. She's a quick learner and she can cook really well, despite her age.

After our latest course, her grandma got in touch with us and told us how much she'd enjoyed it. In fact, she'd enjoyed it so much that her grandma booked her onto another three courses. With commitment like that, Ella will have to watch out.

We have another girl who stood out. She was visually impaired and might not normally take part in group activities because of her impairment. But we go to special lengths to make sure she's happy and able to take part. She really flourishes when she's with us and it's an absolute joy to watch her.

She is able to mix with the other kids and be creative. I find that children really come out of themselves and start to blossom when they're in that environment.

The same is true of Ella. She's naturally quite a shy girl and she wouldn't normally stand in front of a group of other children. But when there's a cookery course and her dad is at her side, her confidence really comes out. She is bright and engaged – and she makes friends with the other children.

As her father, I'm very proud to see her flourish – and, as a businessman, I'm chuffed to bits that she only charges me £2 a time.

Marcus Bean is a regular on ITV This Morning. He owns the Brompton Cookery School, at Atcham, near Shrewsbury, on a National Trust Estate.

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