I have competed in quite a few cookery competitions, the last one cooking in the middle of a marquee surrounded by a large crowd at the Royal
Welsh Show so I should be quite prepared for the next week. Sadly I was 14 at
the time and so I think *ahem* years later I don't think I can count this as an experience that
will help.
A few months ago I came across this competition on Simply Beef and Lamb’s website looking for recipes for the Battle of the Burgers.
I put my thinking hat on, thought of some of my favourite flavours that would compliment the meat and filled in the entry form. Fast forward to the middle of August and I received a fabulous email saying that I had been short listed and I needed to produce a full working recipe. I did feel slightly panicked by this as I am a 'add a dab of this and a splash of that' type of cook but for once I was very disciplined and noted down quantities and times.
The recipe was typed out and emailed for the Simply Beef and Lamb's home economist to try out and I just had to wait until the 28th of August to find out if I had made it through to the finals.
The day rolled round and I was checking my emails every four minutes. By mid afternoon I had resigned myself to not making the grade so when the email arrived at quarter to six saying I was through to the final cook off I was ecstatic - for about two seconds flat and then the butterflies kicked in! There was only one thing for it, grabbing my apron and cooking my way through the nerves. This pretty much brings me up to today, the kids think they are in heaven having burgers to eat every day and any person coming remotely near the house becomes a taste tester. I am really happy with my recipe and will try and find a few minutes tomorrow to type the recipe out. No burger making tomorrow though as my little boy is moving up to year 7 and a new school *gulp*
Cooking competition nerves have nothing on Mummy nerves!
