Bev’s time to shine

Last year was too soon. We had been here for 5 minutes, still finding our feet, deep in the depths of organising & hosting my little sister’s Hen’s weekend. Yes, the timing was all wrong.

But not this year. Oh no friends, 2012 might be known as the year of the Dragon, but round these parts, it’s also known as the year of the Mac. The Macdonald that is. The BETH Macdonald that is.

It’s showtime MOFO’s. Show time!

In just over a month our local show will be held over the hill and I plan on entering a little baked good. Which baked good? Who knows! BUT it will be entered. It will be displayed. And it will get a ribbon. OK, maybe not, but can you imagine if I got a ribbon? Proudest. Moment. Ever. {besides the whole having children and marrying a good man bit} but at least my second or third proudest. Moment. Ever.

So. What shall I do? WHAT SHALL I DO?

Let’s look at the categories shall we?

Formally Decorated Iced Cake – e.g. wedding with leaves, flowers, buds etc.
Most creatively decorated cake – mounted on board
Champion decorated iced cake
Prize money in Classes 3 – 10: 1st $7.00, 2nd $3.00, donated by Mrs Margaret Whatman

With prize money like that? Why wouldn’t you get on board?

Chocolate Sponge – mock cream filled, not iced
Plain Sponge – jam filled only
Sponge Roll – jam filled only
Sponge – any other variety mock cream filled, not iced
Champion sponge – Classes 3-6 Rita hindmarsh Memorial Award & Ribbon. Donated by Robertson Show Society Show Auxiliary

Imagine being the Champion sponge? A girl can dream.

Sultana Cake – 20cm (8”) tin
Fruit Cake – light -20cm (8”)
Fruit Cake – dark -20cm (8”)
Plum Pudding
Chocolate Cake – iced
Orange Cake – iced
Marble Cake – iced
Butter Cake – iced
Banana Cake – lemon iced
Sour Cream Cake
Carrot Cake – iced with cream cheese filling
Six Butterfly Cakes – not cooked in paper
Six Patty Cakes – iced but not cooked in paper
Six Biscuits – 2 Varieties
Favourite Slice – 6 Pieces 2 Varieties
Six Plain Scones
Six Date Scones
Six Muffins
Date Loaf
Apple Pie
Plate of Coconut Ice
Plate Home Made Chocolates
Specimen of Cooking not other wise specified.
Specimen of gluten free cookery
Rich Fruit Cake – see compulsory recipe

Please read rules & regulations carefully.
Exhibits in this section must be made by exhibitor.
All cakes to be exhibited on firm flat cardboard, covered with baking paper.
Cardboard must be same size as the cake.
Baking papers to be removed from all cakes
Packet Mixtures not to be used unless specified.
No Ring Tins or spring form pans to be used.

What on earth is specimen of cooking not other wise specified? Also, don’t fence me in with a compulsory recipe with the fruit cake – you just can’t make me. Rob will be entering a sauce of some description and we have until 8am on the 8th March before they have to be submitted for judging. So. Over to you dear readers. What do you reckon? My thoughts at this early stage are 6 plain scones AND Date loaf. Only because I know I can do them already. But should I scatter the whole field in hope that something will come up trumps? How will I possibly lose weight whilst sampling and practicing? Do I have this in me?

Comments

  1. Ah the local country show. We have one too – in November. I’ve not been brave enough yet to enter baked goods. I entered a chocolate tart in another local bake off and was so scared with the “open judging” – that’s right, they judged it in front of an audience. Needless to say I have not re-entered that competition. Show judging goes on behind closed doors so not as scary. Do you remember what was big last year? Cupcakes is a good one for ribbon – not many enter. Scones is good. We get many sponge cakes in ours. Do you have a kids section? Get the girls into “3 iced Marie biscuits on a plate” or “iced teddy bear biscuit”. Always a winner. And don’t forget the produce section – 3 beetroots has earned us prizes before. Good luck!

  2. Decisions, decisions….got to go country with the scones and an apple pie!

    BTW We’re having a give away. Check it out and maybe give us a mention?
    http://somethinggorgeous.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/february-giveaway.html

  3. why don’t you combine the two bev, and go the six date scones. gotta be good right!

  4. oh the country show. LOVE IT!. I think the scone is the way to go…definately. a. winner. Yes, you will get a ribbon…dream it and it shall be yours!! look forward to hearing about it and wish I could come sample some practice sessions hahahaa.! love it. Many memories with my grandma entering and boy she could cook and man did she put herself through hell to get the lightest sponge!! lol xx

  5. The prize money, woah!!! Don’t got spending it all at once if you win 😉 I like your choices.

  6. Woweee country Bev. You’ve excelled with scones already so I would stick with what you know. You go! Do us proud!

  7. Stop it. You’re making me hungry!

  8. You go girl. You GO and knock them off their fucking socks!

  9. Do it all Bev!!! My grandmother in law was the raining sponge cake queen at our local show for years… I wouldn’t even attempt to follow in her footsteps because it would set local tongues wagging lol! Find out if there is a local who has won the same category for many years, and then enter it, and beat her… that would set the cat among the pigeons!

  10. Having already eaten your scones, it’s a no brainer. All hail, Bev, Queen of the Scones!

  11. You took the words right out of my head. Def run your crowd pleasing Scones and Date Loaf always hits the mark.
    My Nanna ROCKS the Date Loaf!

  12. Ok Bev, I enter our country show with goodies all the time, and win! It’s annonymous, so I don’t think my hubby being an ex president or committee member influences my winning.
    My advice is to do what you know best, what is a hit at your house and with your friends? What doesn’t need to be eaten straight up? as it could be out in the open for a couple of hours, and make it fit into one of those categories, even if it is the specimen…….
    The favourite slice is pretty good -2 varieties, you could do brownies there, or the muffins. That way you don’t waste the whole lot/batch and the family gets to eat the rest, or it goes in the freezer.
    Also don’t forget everything gets thrown out after usually being sprayed with fly spray. With that in mind I try to make my most economical baked goods. I don’t like throwing out the whole cake, I think that’s a horrible waste.
    Is there a kid’s section that Daisy can enter? Now that’s a good one, not only can you cook but your daughter has learned the skills from you! What a great mum you are too! My daughter enters that one and as she has to do it I just get all the ingredients out and supervise. ( I used to have to read what she had to do?) even Iced milk arrowroots is in the kid’s cooking in our schedule. Good luck!

  13. Our town has a show and one of the ladies I work with judges the baking. Here is something she told me they take seriously in the judging. (Lucky I am anonymous as a blogger or I would be in big trouble for sharing such a hallowed secret.)
    You lose points if there are marks from the cooling rack on your cake. The best way to avoid this is to put a tea towel over the rack. Also dont test your cake with a skewer – lose marks for the hole in it.

    I have yet to enter our local show although Farmboy was extremely proud of his first place in the under 8 Lego creation competition. He won $3 and a certificate. Farmgirl came second in the floral saucer competition…. (Stiff competition and she was bottom of her age range… it’s a tough gig.)

    Good luck – there are always lots of scone entries so it would be a huge honour if you took home the ribbon!

  14. Go you good thing!
    Bev for president!!!
    🙂 x

  15. Oh God I want to eat some cake…

  16. Oh I love the specification for mock cream!! Must be a country thing – every time I go home to country NSW I pig out on mock cream buns.

    You just don’t see mock cream here in Julie Bishop’s electorate, its just not done.

  17. I really want to see you tackle a specimen of cooking not otherwise specified. Either that or a vanilla slice. x

  18. DUDE – be brave – go the sponge! They’re actually a snap to make and not a huge number of ingredients either.

    Go you good thing.

  19. OH, and I’m entering jam in this years Sydney Royal Easter Show. I KNOW. SHUT UP.

  20. This makes me think of that Masterchef challenge where they had to bake-off against a championship country show baker! She was soooo specific in her cake making skills. Good luck to you!

  21. Oh I am with Bron on a Vanilla Slice but Plum Pudding had me at hello too…

  22. Hysterical!

    I once entered our Village Show. I cooked the fruit cake to their recipe…

    And I got a prize.

    The label said ‘Annabel – First Class Fruitcake’.

    I kept it for a long time.

    😀

  23. All I can say is YUMMO… love the old school options they put up, all of them, I would sink my teeth into. You can do it lady. I see you being a champion butter cake – iced baker, but scones or date loaf you would nail too. How exciting to see how this all unfolds :o) xo

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