A brave schoolboy’s dream of being a chef came true for a day, following his harrowing battle against cancer.
Ben Harnwell joined award-winning chef Andrew Stott in the kitchen to cook up a special meal for his proud family.
The nine-year-old was the 10,000th child to be treated by the Make-A-Wish charity, which creates special memories for youngsters fighting life-threatening conditions.
Ben, from Rosyth, was only five when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
He endured three years of treatment, including intensive chemotherapy, steroids, platelets and blood transfusions, during which he lost his hair, put on weight and was confined to a wheelchair.
Now back on his feet he was delighted to indulge his passion for cooking, which he developed watching cookery shows in hospital.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=x1pXj1JbhwQ%3Frel%3D0
He served up a delicious feast of pizza, steak, snails and frogs’ legs for mum Michelle, dad Thomas, sister Olivia and grandmother Celia.
Michelle said: “Ben lost a lot of confidence during his treatment, which was the saddest thing.
“However, the fact that he can stand up and say he went to a restaurant to be a chef makes him feel special and important.”
Ben travelled by limousine to Le Bistro Beaumartin, in Glasgow, where head chef Andrew presented him with his own chef’s outfit.
The pair hit it off right away, with Michelle describing them as “two peas in a pod”.
She said: “Make-A-Wish touch the hearts of children that are going through things other people may never understand.
“They give children confidence, smiles and happiness.
“A wish is more than that though. It is about independence and achieving something, which is what Ben has done.
“A wish isn’t something you get every day, which makes it very special. We have wonderful memories to look back on.”