Local winners of the CWA Land Cookery Competition
About 30 women from the Illawarra met at Balgownie Community Hall last week for the annual judging and awards presentation of the Country Women’s Association Land Cookery competition for the Illawarra Group, an area stretching from Stanwell Park...
About 30 women from across the Illawarra met at Balgownie Community Hall last week for the annual judging and awards presentation of the Country Women’s Association Land Cookery Competition for the Illawarra Group. This area stretches from Stanwell Park to Port Kembla, west to Picton and Dapto, and north to Campbelltown.
The statewide competition is open to residents of NSW and the ACT, with winning entrants receiving cash prices sponsored by The Land newspaper.
Eva Campbell is the president of Balgownie branch, chair of the State Cultural Committee and a historian, so is right across the history of the CWA and The Land Cookery Competition. The NSW CWA celebrated its centenary last year, having begun in 1922. Eva tells me that technically it's 100 years this year, as the CWA would have turned one in 1923. She also says that this competition is the oldest sponsored cooking competition in the world, having started in 1951.
There are 15 categories – including two for children 18 and under – each with strict rules and guidelines. Entrants submit their creation at the local branch level, with the winning entries progressing to the group stage, and then to state finals judged at the annual conference. This year's will be held in May at Bathurst. First place in each of the group sections will progress to the state competition.
With three awards – first, second and third – in each of the sections, there were many winners. One of the most awarded women was Phyllis Blissett, who is also a sugar-icing decorating expert.
Judging the competition was Carol Windley from the South Coast. Carol is a veteran of food judging (and also a competitor herself) at CWA and agricultural shows. Hailing from Deloraine in Tasmania, Carol is a lifelong cook and knows her way around a boiled fruit cake and all the other creations on offer. Her own signature winner from her Deloraine days is a boiled fruit cake in a cloth.
Carol was impressed with the standard of entries this year. The first place-getter in each category will go into the state competition at Bathurst in May.
Good luck to all the Illawarra contenders.
More details here on the sections and guidelines. Maybe next year?
