Rick Stein’s Head Pastry Chef was on hand to judge as the contestants competed to cook a traditional Victoria sponge following the classic WI recipe. As a true technical challenge, the bakers were given identical ingredients but given creative freedom in their decoration and filling.
Gold prize in the countywide competition went to Connie McGannity, from Mylor Bridge School. Only 1.5 points away from the top score, Oscar Haywood, from Constantine Primary School, was awarded silver and Kaia Sawalha, from Connor Downs Academy, received bronze.
The top three bakers beat a strong field of seven entries with the final result declared “extremely close” by the judges. Bakes were sampled several times before a decision was reached and judging included precise measuring of how much the cakes had risen.
Scarlett Berry, from Devoran School; Evie Groves, from Archbishop Benson Primary School, Rosanna Benney, from Mawnan School, and Amy Frankland, from Truro High School also competed in the final.
The young bakers had been whittled down from nearly 200 children from twelve local schools in the search for Cornwall’s best young baker.
The panel included Truro High’s Head of Food Mrs Lisa van der Lem and the Head Pastry Chef at Rick Stein’s Patisserie Padstow, Stuart Pate.
The competition was organised by Truro High School for Girls and open to young bakers in Years 5 & 6 from across Cornwall.
First prize included a voucher for a Rick Stein Children’s Cookery Course in Padstow and Connie’s whole class is now invited to take part in a half-day food workshop, including cooking and food science, at Truro High School during the summer term. Truro High is a 2015 Good Schools Guide Gold award winner for its Home Economic teaching.
