Judge Has Hot Tips For Bakers' Battle
Sun Herald
Sunday April 1, 2007
IF you think woodchopping is one of the toughest battles at the Royal Easter Show, you haven't seen the cookery.
Jan Boon has been on the judging circuit for more than 20 years and knows how seriously entrants take their cakes."It is extremely competitive, very stiff, because most of the entrants get to know each other over the years," Mrs Boon said. "Newcomers can find it difficult to be accepted."While the number of Show entries is holding steady, stalwarts of the art of baking fear it is becoming a dying art in the wider community."Not a lot of cooking and baking is taught these days and we are very reliant on grandmothers and mothers to teach their young people," Mrs Boon said. "We would certainly love to see new competitors. Unless there is someone to keep teaching them we are not going to have competitors. Baking may come back but in today's busy life it's difficult."Her first tip for aspiring competitive bakers is to start out at suburban or country contests before graduating to the city circuit. Enter only one class and perfect a single style of cake. Always use fresh ingredients and correct proportions. And ask the judges for feedback.The most popular baking classes at the Royal Easter Show are orange, marble, chocolate and butter cakes, lamingtons, date and walnut loaf and sponge sandwich. Men are best represented in bread making. None of the competitors is professional and there are junior categories, often entered by the children or grandchildren of seasoned competitors."We hope the cookery competition encourages people to think about the skill of cooking and home baking and to give it a try," Mrs Boon said.> 2007 Royal Easter Show liftout: Starts page 57
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