There were no soggy bottoms in evidence when South Holland’s cooks presented their entries in the Fairtrade Chocolate Bake Off.
Fans of TV’s The Great British Bake Off will recognise the soggy bottom reference and will be familiar with another piece of baker extraordinaire Mary Berry lore: cakes are healthy too, you just eat a thin slice.
However, the willing taste testers assembled at St Mary & St Nicolas Church hall in Spalding seemed happy to overlook that particular piece of wisdom as they tucked into cookies, brownies and cakes with one thing in common – they were made using Fairtrade ingredients.
In fact, the judging – performed by this writer – was based not just on appearance, taste and suitability for serving at a coffee morning, but on the number of Fairtrade ingredients used in the recipe.
“It’s very easy,” said South Holland Fairtrade Group chairman Sarah Chadd. “You don’t have to come up with innovative recipes. It’s just looking to see where you can use Fairtrade in your favourite recipes. You can convert your own recipes just by looking at the ingredients.”
As always, judging was difficult because the entries all looked and tasted delicious.
However, the brownies made by five-year-old Noah Wadsworth, of Spalding, were judged to be the winner in the under six category.
They contained lots of Fairtrade goods and would be perfect to serve at a coffee morning – and in fact the recipe will be served at the Fairtrade coffee morning to be held at South Holland District Council’s offices in Spalding during National Chocolate Week. It’s on Wednesday, October 16 (9.30am to 11.30am) and everyone’s invited.
Joining Noah’s brownie recipe at the coffee morning will be the cookie recipe from winner in the seven to 13 group Holly Rodgers, of Moulton Chapel, and the recipe for chocolate Victoria sandwich by Janette Kenneally, of Spalding, who won the adult category.
Winners received recipe books and Fairtrade chocolate, and runners-up Amber Godfrey (nearly 8), of Gosberton Clough, and Carrie Rands (10), of Donington, received bars of Fairtrade chocolate.
South Holland Fairtrade Group secretary Kay King explained: “Baking is quite popular at the moment and there is a National Chocolate Week in October and so we came up with the idea for this Fairtrade Chocolate Bake Off.”