Hey Honey! Buzzin' over bees

For March's meeting, Beekeeper Bronwen White joined us to teach us all about the art and skill involved in keeping bees, an essential part of our ecosystem. 

We heard all about the different types of bee we may find in our gardens (including my personal favourite - the hairy-footed flower bee), the life cycle of a bee, and we were shown all of the components required to provide a hive for them to thrive. 

Toni and the bee!

Here are some fun facts we learnt about our humble bumbles! 

• A Queen bee can lay up to 1500 eggs per day...them's some hardworking ovaries!
• Bees communicate by waggle dance! The direction of the waggle lets the other bees know which way to go, with the speed of the waggle telling them how far they need to go to reach their pollen-y destination
• Bees can't see red, but can see in UV - so you should notice that when petals on flowers are lined, the lines will always point to the pollen which help the bee find it's way.

Bronwen brought with her a bee hive and some honey samples

We also held a honey-themed bake off - sampling honey glazed chicken, an array of honey cakes, tiny honeyed doughnuts and more. Mary's baklava was judged by Bronwen to be the star bake of the day and she was rewarded with a jar of honey to take home.

Anyway, time for me to buzz off.

Bee Happy!

Laura Rangeley

Committee member

Let them eat cake! SHWI's stall at Sheffield Food Festival 2013

Hello!

Our Secretary Kim
at the 2012 Food Festival

As many of you will remember, we've held a stall at Sheffield Food Festival for the last two years and also run the Best in Show competition. We have made over £900 from our stalls and competition since 2011 and we want this year to be the best yet!

Like last year, we will be holding a traditional cake stall at this year's event in the Winter Gardens on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 September, from 10am until around 5pm (or until the cake runs out!) on both days. There will be a delightful assortment of cakes made by our wonderful members and a raffle on each day to win something special made by one of our star bakers!

Our Best in Show competition will also be running once again, this time with three categories - Victoria Sponge, Jarred goods (jams, chutneys, curds or pickles) and new for 2013 - puddings. It costs £1 per entry, and all proceeds, along with all proceeds from our cake stall, will be going to our nominated charity, the Parents' Association of Children with Tumours and Leukaemia (PACT), which provides a range of support services for families whose children have been diagnosed with cancer.

Cake!

An extra special treat for our Best in Show this year will be the person announcing the cake results...it's only James Morton from the Great British Bake Off (you know, the one with the cool jumpers). That's reason enough alone to enter!

We raised over £700 for charity last year - this was donated to Haven House - and we hope that with your help we can beat that total and raise even more this year!

So, how can you get involved? Everyone loves cake so come along to our stall in the Winter Gardens on 21 or 22 September (or both if you really love cake!). We'd also love it if you could enter our Best in Show competition, it's all done in the name of fun but there are a few rules which you can find below. 

SHWI members - we also need you to help us by baking lots of yummy cakes and volunteering to help on the stall, please email sevenhillswi@live.co.uk to get involved.

Here's to a wonderfully successful Sheffield Food Festival 2013.

Seven Hills WI x

Seven Hills WI - Best in Show. Information Rules and Regulations

1. Competition Entry

Our stall last year

a. All entries must be submitted with a completed entry form. Forms can be downloaded here and emailed to sevenhillswi@live.co.uk prior to competition date or submitted on the day along with product.

b. You can submit one Entry per Category. Your Entry must be your own work. 

c. £1 per entry, payable on arrival with product – all entry money will be donated to the Parents' Association of Children with Tumours and Leukaemia - a registered charity that provides a range of support services for families who children have been diagnosed with cancer.

d. All entries must be bought to the Festival Kitchen, top of Fargate, City Centre on Sunday 22 September between 10.00am and 11.30am. Entries submitted after this time will not be entered.

e. We accept no responsibility for incorrectly completed, lost or delayed entries or other documents related to the prize.

f. All entries must be presented ‘ready to judge’.

g. If you would like further information on competition entry please contact sevenhillswi@live.co.uk to answer your queries.

2. Entries
a. Victoria Sandwich: cake to be 8” round, filled with raspberry jam, and presented boxed or plated. The entry will be judged on presentation, appearance and suitability as well as, of course, taste, texture and flavour.

b. Jarred Goods:
i. Pickle/Relish/Chutney: presented in a clear glass jar and judged on appearance, suitability, taste, texture and flavour
ii. Jam/preserves/curds: presented in a clear glass jar and judged on appearance, suitability, taste, texture and flavour

c. Pudding. This can be any pudding. A favourite from your childhood perhaps or a recent invention of your own that you just want to show off. Please bear in mind that all the puddings will be served and judged cold.

3. Judging

Anna and Lisa get judging in 2012

a. Judging will take place between 12noon and 2.30pm on Sunday 22 September.

b. Winners will be selected from each Category by the judging panel. All judges’ decisions are final.

c. The winners will be announced at 2.35pm on Sunday 22 September 2013 in the Festival Kitchen, top of Fargate, City Centre.

d. First, second and third places in each Category will all be awarded with rosettes. We reserve the right to provide a substitute prize of similar value should the specified prize become unavailable for reasons beyond our control.

e. Any winners not present will be contacted to be informed that they have won a prize and will receive their rosettes by post within seven days.

f. You allow us to take photographs of you and use the photographs together with your name in publicity connected with the competition and prize

4. Collection
a. Packaging, boxes etc. may be collected by entrants between 3pm and 4pm on Sunday 22 September.
b. Any items not collected will be disposed of.

6. General

a. We are required by law to make all the names of the winners publicly available. These details can be obtained by sending a signed handwritten request along with a stamped self-addressed envelope detailing your request to J Bletcher, Festival Assistant, Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University, Howard Street, Sheffield S1 1WB and marked with the name of the competition or alternatively email j.bletcher@shu.ac.uk

b. Information that you have provided to us will be collected, stored and processed for the purposes of administering the competition.

c. We reserve the right to suspend, cancel or amend the promotion and/or review and revise these terms at any time without giving prior notice and by continuing to take part in the promotion subsequent to any revision of these terms and conditions, you are deemed to have agreed to any such new or amended terms.

d. This promotion is governed by English law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

Danny Bryden and The Great SHWI Bake Off

Anna adds another GBBO star
to her photo collection!

Laura Bainbridge's 
chocolate and cherry cake

April’s meeting was the first time since we moved to Electric Works that the Helter Skelter sat unused and forlorn. After all, who needs slides when you have over 20 different cakes?!

This month’s meeting saw Great British Bake Off 2012 semi-finalist, the wonderful Danny Bryden, come to speak to the group. And with a baking expert at hand, it seemed appropriate to host our own SHWI Bake Off with Danny as judge. As I am already a great friend of the Great British Bake Off Stars (see April 9th’s blog post!) I was obviously very blasé and nonchalant about this particular SHWI Meeting. Er, yeah RIGHT! I had been dreaming about this meeting for months and excitement had reached fever pitch over the few days prior to it when we started getting hints dropped by SHWI members about their impending cake creations. There were two categories to enter – upside down cakes or flourless. And yet again, SHWI ladies showed their fantastic imaginations and mad skillz in the kitchen. The entries were as follows:

Upside Down Cakes

Pina Colada Sandwich Cake
Pear and Walnut
Orange and Lemon
Pineapple, Lime and Chilli
Cherry and Almond
Banana
Pear and Nutmeg
Salted Caramel, Apple and Pecan
Rhubarb and Ginger
Pear and Chocolate
Apple and Cinnamon
Pear and Pistachio

Flourless Cakes

Rose and Raspberry mini loaves
Cherry Bakewell
Lime and Passionfruit Drizzle
Raspberry and Chocolate
Fig, Pecan and Maple Syrup
Lemon Polenta
Vanilla and Strawberry Rainbow Battenburg
Carrot Cake
Hazelnut and Praline
Clementine and Almond
Cherry and Chocolate Brownie Cake

Louise Worn's amazing
rice flour rainbow Battenburg

Drool, cakey goodness… Sorry, back to business! Committee member Grace had done a wonderful job of organising the 23 entries into their relevant categories and walking round the corner to be faced with the display was quite frankly like walking into utopia – SHWI has some very talented members. The table was laden with beautifully presented cakes of all flavours and types (more of which to follow). Danny was to judge them based on three criteria – appearance, texture and taste. With my mind already boggled by the amazing array of baked delights, I decided to channel my inner April O’Neil (the journalist from the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, non-80s kids) and make notes about all the cakes on display so I could remember them all and note some of Danny’s comments. I wish I had the time, space and superlatives to describe in detail every cake, but actually I think I’ll let the accompanying photos do the talking. Danny’s first job was to judge on appearance so that Grace could slice up the cakes for the taste and texture judging (and also to feed the hungry hordes come break time). I can exclusively reveal (get me!) that she gave a special mention in terms of appearance to Sam Cleasby’s Pear and Walnut upside down cake – she loved the rustic presentation and thought the glazed pear decoration was a fantastic touch.

Danny's next job was to judge taste and texture. She approached this with slight trepidation as 23 slices of cake is a lot in anyone’s book. However, it says something for the quality of entries that she told us she enjoyed every single bite! She was bowled over by the brilliant concepts and beautiful presentation, but as the cliché goes, the proof of the pudding (or cake) is in the eating. She thought the Clementine and Almond cake was beautifully citrusy, the Cherry and Almond had very clean and distinct flavours and she loved the gorgeous home-made marmalade on the Orange and Lemon Cake, these are just a few of the many, many positive comments she made. 

As you can probably guess, the judging was EXTREMELY tight and faced with the prospect of ties, Danny asked myself and Grace to give her a second and third opinion on the taste of her favourite few. It’s a hard life. It just so happened that we were unanimous in our opinions and so after an hour of cake scoffing, the judging was over…

SHWI members enjoying cake!

The next part of the meeting was Danny’s talk and what a captivating talk it was! It was her first time speaking to a WI group and she had planned her speech around the assumption we’d want to know about her Bake Off experience and baking in general – she certainly knew her audience! Firstly she explained how entering the competition had been, in her words, ‘a bet that got out of hand’! She had first developed an interest in cooking at school thanks to her inspirational Home Economics teacher (and of course Delia) and also due to the fact that she wanted to be able to eat things she liked and nobody else in her family was particularly interested in cooking. She has always cooked and baked, especially at Christmas, and was renowned for her skills amongst her family, although she stressed it was not something she did avidly. Danny is not much of a TV watcher herself but her sister is a cookery show fan but not much of a cook herself (something I can definitely relate to). She and her husband encouraged Danny to enter GBBO because they felt it was the most suitable show for her, as she is a vegetarian and shows like Masterchef generally involve a lot of meat and fish cookery.

Upon submitting the LONG application form, Danny was selected to progress to the next stage of a lengthy application process. She had many phone interviews, spot tests on baking, screen tests, techinical challenges and more! Danny says she felt confident about these tests and attributes this to her job as an Intensive Care Consultant, where her medical training conditioned to jump professional hurdles and look for the next. Perhaps it was this attitude (as well as her amazing food!) that got her into the final 12.

Danny then let us into a few secrets behind the filming of the series which we couldn't possibly tell! 

Danny and SHWI

However we can tell you that TV isn’t all glamour and fun. The 6am starts and long hours left the contestants feeling exhausted and Danny admitted that she was happy to get to the semi-final as it had given those who had invested time in supporting her so much pleasure to see her progress, but that personally she was more than ready to go. 

All the contestants got on really well and many keep in touch still – Danny recently had lunch with Brendan and is working with James on a medical article about comparing medical feedback with the feedback you get on TV. SHWI Vice-President Jen was also able to pass on a message to Danny from fellow contestant Cathryn who told us to say hello to Danny after we met her at Manchester’s Cake and Bake Show recently! Danny said that although she doesn’t intend to pursue baking as a profession she has gained a huge recipe library and has infinitely developed her baking skills so that she has the confidence to tackle difficult recipes with gusto and was proud to be able to bake her Mum’s 90th birthday cake recently.

After her amazing talk, Danny proved again what an all-round inspirational lady she is by promoting a charity close to her heart, the Sheffield Hospitals Charity's new initiative, Charity Chef. This encourages charity supporters to host a dinner party and ask their guests to make a donation to the Charity in return for their food. For more information on how you can get involved with Charity Chef go here. 

The final act of the night was announcing the winners of the Bake Off. And (drum roll....) the prize winners in both categories were as follows:

Upside-Down Cakes:

1st Blanche Spataro’s Cherry and Almond cake

2nd Sam Cleasby’s Pear and Walnut cake

3rd Jen Marsden’s Pina Colada cake








Flourless Cakes:

1st Caryl Carson’s Carrot Cake

2nd Samantha Duffy’s Chocolate and Raspberry Cake

3rd Amy Grange’s Hazelnut and Praline Cake


Well done ladies! Although all entrants should be very proud as it was a VERY tough decision! The prize winners were presented with rosettes to mark their accomplishments. A fitting end to a fabulous night! And, of course, the icing on the cake (boom boom) for me was adding a picture with Danny to my burgeoning collection of GBBO contestant photos!


Finally – SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT! If this blog post has whet your appetite, why not come to the next SHWI Dining Club event on Friday 24 May at the Showroom cinema?! 

Notice that I used the word ‘event’ rather than meal – because we are having a TUDOR BANQUET! A bespoke menu has been created for us and in the words of the Tudors themselves, you’d be a massive fopdoodle to miss it! Look here for more details.

Anna Pilson

SHWI Committee 

Photos by Laura Bainbridge

Seven Hills WI at Sheffield Food Festival 2012

Hello!

SHWI members Blanche and Kim judge
the entries at last year's Sheffield Food 
Festival Best in Show competition

As many of you will remember, we held a stall at Sheffield Food Festival last year and ran the Best in Show competition. Our stall, selling homemade afternoon teas, and the competition was a huge success and we have been asked back to do it all again this year, hurrah!

We're doing things a little differently for 2012 and will be holding a traditional cake stall on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 September, from 10am until around 6pm (or until the cake runs out!) on both days. There will be a delightful assortment of cakes made by our wonderful members and a raffle on each day to win a whole cake made by one of our star bakers!

Our Best in Show competition will also be running once again, this time with two categories - Victoria Sponge and Jams/Chutneys. It costs £1 per entry, and all proceeds, along with all proceeds from our cake stall, will be going to our nominated charity Haven House, which provides temporary accommodation for women and children in Sheffield who find themselves homeless due to domestic abuse.

We raised £200 for charity last year - this was donated to the Sheffield Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Service (SRASACS) - and we hope that with your help we can beat that total and raise even more this year!

SHWI present SRASACS with £200 made at the 2011
Sheffield Food Festival. (L-R SHWI Treasurer Vicky, Aletheia from 
SRASACS, SHWI President Lindsay and Secretary Kim)

So, how can you get involved? Everyone loves cake so come along to our stall in the Winter Gardens on 15 or 16 September (or both if you really love cake!). We'd also love it if you could enter our Best in Show competition, it's all done in the name of fun but there are a few rules which you can find below. 

Here's to a wonderfully successful Sheffield Food Festival 2012.

Seven Hills WI x

               

Seven Hills WI - Best in Show. Information Rules and Regulations

Jen at last year's Food Festival

1.    Competition Entry

a.    All entries must be submitted with a completed entry form. Forms can be downloaded here and emailed prior to competition date or submitted on the day along with product.

b.    £1 per entry, payable on arrival with product – all entry money will be donated to Haven House -  a registered charity that provides temporary supported accommodation for women and children who find themselves homeless due to domestic abuse.

c.    All entries must be bought to the Festival Kitchen, top of Fargate, City Centre on Sunday 16th September between 10.00 – 11.30 hours.

d.    All entries must be presented ‘ready to judge’.

2.    Entries

a.    Victoria Sandwich: cake can be any size (within reason!) All cakes MUST be filled with jam and with a choice of cream and fruit, presented boxed or plated. Entry will be judged on presentation, appearance, suitability and, of course taste, texture and flavour. Points will also be awarded for individual flair and creativity.

b.    Jarred Goods:

i.    Pickle/Relish/Chutney: presented in a clear glass jar and judged on appearance, suitability, taste, texture and flavour

ii.    Jam/preserves/curds: presented in a clear glass jar and judged on appearance, suitability, taste, texture and flavour

3.    Judging

a.    Judging will take place between 11.30 – 14.30 hours on Sunday 16 September

b.    There will be three judges overall; Seven Hills WI will nominate two judges from their               members, a third judge will be nominated by Eat Sheffield

c.    All judges decisions are final

d.    Winners will be announced at 14.40 hours on Sunday 16 September in the Festival Kitchen, top of Fargate, City Centre

e.    First, second and third places will all be awarded with Rosettes

f.    Any winners not present will receive their rosettes by post within seven days

4.    Collection

a.    Packaging, boxes etc. may be collected by entrants between 15.00 -16.00 hours.

b.    Any items not collected will be disposed of.