A MASTER in the kitchen, 12-year-old Jorja Douglas loves nothing more than cooking up a storm of tasty treats for the Mount Gambier A&H Society Spring Show.
Following in her grandmother’s footsteps, Jorja has been perfecting her skills from a young age, stepping foot into the competition sector at the tender age of five.
Starting off with scones and Anzac biscuits, she has branched out into different areas and this year put forward fruit cake, banana cake and bread as well.
“I really enjoy the process of cooking, it is a lot of fun,” she said.
“Sometimes I use grandma’s recipes and other times I change it around a bit, but I like to try out something new each year.”
Winning first place for her fruit cake when the junior cookery competition was judged yesterday, she will now go on to the semi-finals interstate and if she places first during that competition then on to the grand final at the Royal Melbourne Show.
Grandmother Margaret Douglas – who has been involved in the show for over 40 years – said she was extremely proud to see her granddaughter compete in cookery as well.
“My other granddaughter and my daughter have also competed in the show – it is great to see it passed on through generations,” she said.
Previously competing with her baked goods, Ms Douglas now spends time volunteering as a steward and showing jams and preserves.
“It’s a lot easier with jams and preserves because you can make them a lot earlier, with cakes you have to make them just before they are judged,” she said.
“We start organising everything six months out and during the show and judging are here from 7.30am – it is very time consuming.”
Jorja was one of many competitors in the cookery section with an increase in entrants this year.
“The last time I was a judge here was two years ago and I can definitely see an increase in entrants,” Penola resident and cookery judge Carolyn Lambert said.
A former competitor and winner in royal shows, Ms Lambert said it was a tough decision picking the winner for the 44 different classes.
“I first started showing in Penola and did that for many years, particularly with my fruit cake, but then there were not many judges so I decided to take that up,” she said.
“Everything is judged differently from slices and cakes to pavlova and bread – a lot is based on presentation, then we usually cut or break it open and smell and taste it.
“The scones continue to be one of the most popular sections and they are judged on their evenness and whether the sides are straight.
“It can be really difficult sometimes and there are a lot of great entries this year to choose from.”
The winning baked goods will be on display in the main hall at the show today and tomorrow.
