The Great Santa Bake Off!
The highly anticipated Big Santa Bake Off took place recently!
This event was an in-house competition for our Year 11 Food Science & Technology students. It formed part of their assessment for a topic the girls have been investigating on staple food commodities readily available in Australia. The girls prepared recipes showcasing a range of staple foods with technical accuracy and focussed on understanding a range of methods of cooking.
Students entered scones, melting moments and cupcakes into the competition. The class went back to basics with their cookery and looked at the traditions surrounding these recipes.
Teacher Lisa Balbi explains, “Having been a judge at the Royal Show, and with this being the ‘season’ for the Show in Perth and some country towns, I thought this theme would provide the students with an opportunity to put their technical skills into practice. I recently discovered that a member of our alumni community was a member of the Country Women’s Association (CWA). So, inviting CWA members in to judge, especially someone with a link to the College, fit the brief perfectly.”
Lisa added, “I felt the CWA was a great organisation to contact as they have a strong tradition of food-based service and fundraising. The recipes we were focusing on, promoting staple foods in Australia, were also recipes I cooked when younger from our CWA cookbook.”
Alumni Paula Brensall (Class of 1962) was joined by fellow CWA members Tjala Lesley and Kay Cunnold, and Danielle Spark, Director of Pastoral Care, also a Home Economics teacher, to judge the girls’ entries. They were very impressed with the high standard. The judges said the girls’ food was technically accurate, delicious and show-worthy.
The criteria included:
- Technique
- Colour
- Shape
- Texture
The girls have had fun with the show theme and exploring the criteria around what makes a great product. They were excited to have external judges come in, and this encouraged them to really focus on their product and skills.
The Country Women’s Association is a not-for-profit women’s organisation that aims to unite country and city women and strengthen communities through friendship, education, service and advocacy.
Thank you, Paula, Tjala and Kay, for sharing your time and expertise with us.
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Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
