COOKERY queen Nigella Lawson shared her culinary wisdom while having fun with young adults who have learning disabilities.

The 56-year-old taught students how to make cupcakes with her own special recipe yesterday. 

The class took place at newly-launched charity cafe Team Domenica's in the Old Steine, Brighton.

Nigella said: "This is the most fun I've had in a long time. Making cupcakes is a really great lesson because the first part, making the cake batter, is all about following the rules and using the right measurements so it is all about order. The icing is where you can let your imagination run riot - everyone did their own thing.

"The atmosphere here and the quality of food makes it a lovely, fantastic place - the type of place I would want to come to all the time.

"This charity is doing really important work and I hope the community will support it."

The chef, whose grandmother used to live in Rottingdean, added: "I love Brighton, it is so vibrant."

One of the students, Lara Wolsey-Cooper, said she loved taking part in the cookery class and meeting Nigella.

She decorated her vanilla cupcake with blue icing and plenty of decorations.

The 19-year-old, of High Hurstwood, near Uckfield, said: "It was really nice to meet Nigella - she was really nice and kind. My favourite bit was licking the icing. Blue is my favourite colour so I wanted to decorate it with that colour. I really like coming here, I've made lots of friends."

The project, founded by charity campaigner Rosa Monckton, is a place where adults can study and learn skills to get jobs and has a café run by students which is open to the public. It is named after her daughter Domenica - a goddaughter of Princess Diana - who has Down's syndrome.

Rosa said: "The progress the candidates have made so far has been phenomenal."

The charity was launched in Brighton last month by movie star Julie Walters and displays the motto 'Take a Chance on Me' in tribute to the ABBA song from Domenica's favourite musical Mamma Mia! It is working with City College Brighton and Hove and placements have been offered by employers in the entertainment and hospitality industries so far as well as others. The café is open to the public during term time and the Nigella-style cupcakes are on sale.

Plans to open four more centres along the south coast are already in progress. If successful, the project will be rolled out nationally.

For more details visit teamdomenica.com, visit the cafe or donate to the cause at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charities/TeamDomenica.