And with decoration being high on the judging criteria this, of course, necessitated a trip to Tesco Extra to purchase the desired paraphernalia to impress the ‘mystery guest judge’. The £5 note allocated to each group was eagerly grasped, and the boys found their way around the aisles of the shop, carefully choosing their ingredients. 

Impressively, much talk could be heard of ‘value for money’ as well as horror about how expensive some items were!  There were some impressive Maths skills on display as they worked out what they could (and couldn’t) afford. One canny pair worked out that if they had a Clubcard, they could get even more from their money and managed to convince the checkout staff to give them the Clubcard prices. Once back at school, the serious business of baking took hold – ingredients were weighed and mixed, only two eggs were dropped on the floor, and soon the dining room was full of the delicious smell of freshly baked cakes. A lesson in patience then took place as the cakes cooled, before they could be decorated. If possible, the decorating was taken even more seriously than the baking; we had lava inserts, mystery toppings, sugar overload, and even the zesting of a lemon and lime to complete the look and taste. 

Finally, the judging table was laid with the finest china and, of course, a cup of tea to wash down the nine different cakes. The boys listened intently to the comments, appreciating the judge’s thoughts on design, smell, texture and finally, the taste of each cake.

The winning group was recognised for their colourful and thoughtful decoration combined with the delicious taste of their zesty lemon cupcakes. A brilliant afternoon of baking was enjoyed by all – until the clearing up began!
Miss Higham
Deputy Head