Cookery section second to none
BY DI SNEDDON
Jo-anne Wright and Mark McDougal take their baking seriously. Their kitchen, complete with a double oven ensures there are no arguments with both able to bake at the same time.
They have perfected the skill and annually enter around nine shows from Canberra to Newcastle but they say Singleton Show is a must because its schedule is so diverse.
“We love the schedule, it has so many different things you can enter,” Jo-anne said during her visit last week to Singleton.
“The competition is high in Singleton, I know if I don’t have a good bake I don’t enter that item, you have got to be on your game to enter Singleton,” Jo-anne said.
Mark makes a mean chocolate cake that regularly wins, so much so Jo-anne doesn’t enter the category if Mark does. His orange cake isn’t too bad either but it is this carrot cake that Jo-anne takes most pride in and it’s a recipe for success, winning everywhere it goes.
They usually have three shows in September that they enter, taking as many as 34 entries to each so it takes some coordinating.
Preparing for the shows can see them cooking from 6am to 10:30pm at night but they love it. On the morning of Singleton Show judging, Jo-anne gets up early and makes her scone and pikelets entries, they pack the car double checking all entries are on board and head to Singleton to enter their bakes.
They are forever working on improving their skill and family and friends, even the local vet, doesn’t mind one bit if the results aren’t quite perfect.
“Yes, we do tend to give away a bit,” Jo-anne said.