Ready, steady, taste: Margaret and Yossi take on judging duties as the Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood of Oswestry Heritage Bake-Off
Leading lights of Oswestry’s food scene are perfect mix for bake-off as town prepares for packed programme of Heritage Open Days events
Move over Mary and Paul: Oswestry has two new faces passing judgment on the showstoppers contending in the town’s forthcoming heritage bake-off.
The event organiser, HOOOH Community Group, has revealed that local foodies, Margaret Edwards and Yossi Gliksman, will be casting a discerning eye over the greatly anticipated baking showdown. All the drama is set to unfold over the Friday and Saturday of Oswestry’s Heritage Open Days which runs September 8 to 11.
Well-known figures of Oswestry’s home-baking community, Mrs Edwards and Mr Gliksman have decades of culinary experience between and know a thing or two about a perfectly risen sponge and expertly blended ganache.
Mrs Edwards, from Nant Mawr, is a former president of Oswestry Women’s Institute and current manager of Oswestry Country Markets, part of its restyled trading network. Following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother, she has been honing her baking skills from an early age including 40 years as an active member of the WI.
She said: “I think the bake-off is a great way to raise awareness of Oswestry’s heritage and the tradition of home-baking handed down through families which the WI and Country Markets do so much to preserve.”
An enthusiastic champion of Oswestry’s food culture, Mr Gliksman is a leading partner of the highly successful Oswestry Food and Drink Festival. His specialist cooktop, Upstairs Downstairs, run with his wife Lorraine, is one of the town’s sought-out independent shops and marks its 30th anniversary next year. More recently, they have launched a cookery workshop offering tuition in home-cooking skills from Turkish cuisine to bread making.
“I am really looking forward to being involved in Oswestry’s very own bake-off and seeing it turned into a film that will help promote the town’s heritage and the tradition of baking to a new audience,” said Mr Gliksman. “It is particularly important that we encourage the younger generation to continue our heritage for home cooking which is also a very useful life skill.”
Following selection from design submissions on paper, the bake-off will see three finalists battle to create the winning heritage-inspired cake in the kitchens of North Shropshire College. With judging the next day at Oswestry Castle Bank, the contest is being caught on film by former Oswestry resident Joey Edwards of Filmage who is now based in Wrexham.
Oswestry’s Heritage Open Days festival will give access to tens of heritage attractions and special activities in and around the town, many free. The programme has won national praise for its ‘community spirit’ and allows people to delve into every era of the Oswestry Borderland’s fascinating history.
HOOOH Community Group, which works in the interests of Old Oswestry hillfort, has also organised a talk in Oswestry Town Museum by archaeologist and rock art specialist, Dr George Nash as part of the festival. He will be discussing the likely origins of a stone artefact bearing the image of a horse which was discovered by the 3000-year-old hillfort known as ‘The Stonehenge of the Iron Age’. The talk takes place at 11am this Saturday (September 10).
Later the same day, HOOOH will lead a sunset walk of the hillfort in association with Oswestry and Border History and Archaeology Group (OBHAG). Participants should meet at the western entrance for a 6.15pm start.
For Oswestry’s full programme of Heritage Open Day events, go to: http://oldoswestryhillfort.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/HOD-Brochure-2016-final-screen.pdf
