Perth Royal Show - The Hidden Competitions

    Some of the most interesting moments of the Perth Royal Show happen before the show, are never seen by the public nor represented during the show. Of these are the commercial competitions for wine and bakery goods.

PRWS Judging     c.RAS

     I had the pleasure to glimpse into these spheres held three weeks before the actual Show. Very enlightening experiences these were. First there was the Perth Royal Wine Show judging taking up an entire building. Over 2100 commercial wineries across the country submitted six bottles apiece in 93 classes. Count that. Over 12,000 bottles of wine occupied  part of a large hall.  Completely mind boggling. I feared for the wine stewards-and the Chief Wine Steward most of all-getting the wines mixed up despite their careful lines of six behind a table marker. There are three separate checks and balances to make sure a sauvignon blanc is never poured in a chardonnay flight nor one winery's product confused for another's tipple.
     On the other half of the hall were just about as many  identical wine glasses all with a one ounce pour lined up on many, many tables. Five teams of tasters carrying  clipboards wander some unspoken path through the tables and occasionally stop to swirl, sniff, sip and spit out the flight presented at that space.  I looked around for the spittoons. [You don't expect them to swallow all that wine, do you?]  They took the shape of large Rubbermaid garbage cans strategically placed throughout the testing area. These folks weren't just master tasters but master spitters as well. But they do so quietly.  It is very quiet in this cavernous building.  Wine Show chairman John Snowball insists that intense concentration is required and silence aids that concentration...for the three and a half days of competition. The judging is in two parts: first the medals for each class and then the winners of the classes compete against each other for  best of show trophies.  And those trophies translate into some serious benefits for the winery that earned them.

     Homebrew and Fruit Wines.   
     What about the little guy? Mr or Ms Home Brewer who has a passion for making alcohol based beverages but not the estate or large scale production equipment?   Are these just B-grade wannabes to the commercial products? You might think so as the 150 entries are tucked away in an out-of-the-way corner.  Not so, according to Chairman Snowball. The small Mom and Pop operations have a technique and flavor flexibility that the commercial operations wouldn't dare dream about.  There are some great drops that come out of home kitchens.  The judges need to think a bit differently when judging this section.  They are not thinking of large batch consistency but of liquid alchemy. It is mostly bragging rights for these folks, but they get an advantage the commercial wineries do not.  The winners of the homebrew and fruit wine sections get their entries displayed in the Cookery Building during the Show itself.  The commercial victories disappear from general public view at about the same time as the contents of the Rubbermaid trash cans.

    
 COMMERCIAL BREAD & PASTRY

PRS Pastry Judging

     In a smaller building nearby are more busy people in white coats. Compared to the tomb atmosphere at the wine competition, the Commercial Bread & Pastry competition is practically a party. Yeah, the adjudicators are all wearing starched white vestments and carrying the ubiquitous clipboards. They are not cracking jokes nor smiling too hard. I think the sugar fairies  sprinkled a little something in the air. Or perhaps it is because no one is spitting anything out in high projectile fashion.  
    The pastry judges work in teams of two. Thinking like very fussy customers, they view each entry from every angle-far away and close up.  They then gently slice a thin piece from the whole and stare at it for awhile. Take a bite. Chomp, chomp. Toss the remaining part of the piece into a cardboard box located under the table. Check off clipboard.

PRS Bread Judging

   The bread is handled slightly differently.  The loaves are gawked at and pawed, then a slice is taken from the center and it is gawked at and pawed some more.  A bit of deep breathing goes on now as the slice meets the judicial nose. But the bread is NEVER eaten! The judges rely on the very close relationship of the olfactory sense to the sense of taste to make the determination of joy in the mouth. Not all bread is the same.  Many bakers are thinking outside the rectangle with artisanal hand-shaped breads. Gluten free breads defy their wretched reputations in innovative recipes.  Fruit loaves, braided loaves, beautiful golden loaves.   Small wonder the head judge has to call over the official tie-breaker held on retainer on numerous occasions.  And all followed by more obligatory clipboard scribbling.

PRS Cakes

    So are all 12,000 wine bottles used up in competition and, if not, what becomes of them?  The official word is that the remaining bottles are used for "educational purposes."  The cakes and breads? The government Health & Safety trolls insist that all consumable items not held in sterile  conditions be thrown away.  I had some serious thoughts about secretly dumpster diving that afternoon.

     One last thought...and complaint by the commercial exhibitors in both the wine and bakery sections.  The commercial competitions are held three weeks before the actual Perth Royal Show dates.  But there is zero presence of these competitions or its winners at the Show-not the smallest of signs or banners with a few captioned photos or names of winners. This is a shame because the only way the general public will get notice of the winners is by walking into their shops or handling the bottle that has a special sticker on it.  Some committee members blame the media for not being out en force for  judging but there is a huge disconnect between what happpens in early September and the Show at the end of the month. Who can make that leap? I think the organizers can be a bit more creative even when space is at a premium.

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Some winners:
Aravina Estates - in the Margaret River region,  had a great showing this year for its wines.
Denmark Bakery  - in the very southern part of the state, is a perennial top winner.
Patisserie La Vespa - in Fremantle, scooped up nine pastry awards this year.
Strange Grains Bakery - Perth area, its gluten-free bread made from buckwheat impressed the judges.
Organic Loafers - mostly wholesale to very lucky retailers and their customers.     

2013 Perth Royal Show

     It's that time of year.  The Perth Royal Show is on (or, the state of Western Australia's State Fair) and in full swing. A city slicker from birth, I really like attending these agricultural shows. I'm not much on the rides, games or carny hokum but I don't begrudge those who enjoy these aspects along with the endless retail opportunities.  I like the animals, the artsy craftsy stuff,  the educational displays, free food samples, free entertainment and cookery competitions.

     The Show has promised one million dollars worth of entertainment this year. Probably didn't spend it all on the police bagpipe band although I did enjoy their performance. A new entertainer this year is the Ozrocketman.  Tired of just viewing that jet pack James Bond wore in Thunderball, our guy built his own (said to be the only jet pack in Australia and at a cost of $1000 per flight) and zooms around over the audience and showgrounds on a regular schedule.  Not quite a concert but it sure does fuel fantasy in the beholders. Being introduced to Australians here at the Show is Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  I have to admit to getting excited about the familiar, even if I don't actually like the product.  And Krispy Kreme doughnuts are not my favorite, but I think to myself "why not, home has come to you!"  The huge line at the K2 trailer waiting for deep friend delights and collectable trinkets went a long way to reminding me that I really don't have to eat hip-expanding doughnuts just because they are here.

     My fans ( hi, Mom ) are doubtless wondering how I did in the cookery competitions.  I had three entries: a brandied marmalade [using citrus "liberated" from the trees outside the Supreme Court building] that my tasting board said was a sure fire winner, and two Pantry Shelf -six sample items constituting a single entry- collections of which one represented an afternoon tea (Jam, Marmalade, Fruit Spread, Orange Butter, Apple Butter and Brandied Prunes)  the other represented a light supper (Pickled Onions,  Red German Cabbage, Pickled Beets, Root Vegetable shapes, Colored Sweet Peppers [these last two mildly vinegared] and Anchovy Paste).    It was the afternoon tea Pantry Shelf that won the ribbon.  I hadn't given it much hope. Too much of the contents are simply foreign to Australian taste buds. The fruit spread I called OPAL --a very Aussie gem used in acronym for orange/pineapple/apricot/lemon, not all of which is ripe at the same time so some allowances had to be made. No one has heard of apple butter and orange butter was sure to be confused with the translucent smooth yellow spread everyone eats called lemon butter.  This is why I called my orange butter (made with OJ , rind, honey and real butter)  Beurre L'Orange.  The French judge caught on right away.  

     There was a bit of controversy amongst the group of hanging around the French judge who had made herself available for general questions about preserving and competition.  Many people (including the judge) seal their jams by turning the jar upside down for a few minutes after filling.  All of my books say this old practice is a big no-no.  Juices could compromise the seal and welcome mold by the upside down method so everything needs a hot water bath for a complete vacuum seal.  The judge insisted that hot jars, hot lids and hot contents would do the trick just fine. Why boil water for one more step? One lady said she had never heard of a hot water bath.  OK, I come from a different planet.
 
     But, I still have a red ribbon and more ideas for next year.
   

2010 Perth Royal Show finale

3rd Place Colorful Peppers

    There are some similarities between the Perth Royal Show and the Ohio State Fair: one needs to register entries two months before the event (often leaving people to enter things that do not yet exist) and that there are so many surprises.  Take my colorful peppers (or capsicums, as they are called here) four different colors striped in a jar. Looked like candy...and lost to some drab "dilly beans".

Blue Ribbon Tangy Tomato Jam

   And then there was the tomato jam experiment. I had never heard of tomato jam before last year when a friend mentioned how much she loved it. Really? So I experimented with some cheapy grape tomatoes and made a few batches, threw out two and saved one small jar of stuff that didn't make our eyebrows curl.  And rather surprising at that seeing as how it had vodka and hot peppers in it.  Looky here, a blue ribbon! And I had no idea what I was doing or that I was leading a trend. Savory jams are becoming quite popular and next year it will be a category of its own. I am quitting while I'm ahead.  
    But it begs the question, what made this right? At the Ohio State Fair, the only feedback offered by the judges is at the time of judging. Miss that and you miss out. At Perth's Royal Show, the judges write down comments at the closed judging which contestants  pick up at the end of the fair.  This is when I will find out what was wrong with my colorful capsicum confetti relish (which did not look as mushy as the other relishes) or why my gingerbread kangaroo cookies were not up to scratch.
   And because it was asked; Yes, the Quince Strawberry Jelly of amazing clarity featured in the last blog did win the blue ribbon.  The prolific prize winner named Reuben who made it is even featured in a cooking/competition book printed locally, as are other serial ribbon grabbers.         I have a new goal in life.
   Ever watch the 1947 (or even 1962) movie, "State Fair"?  Notice how everyone dresses up to go there, especially at night? Apparently that was the case here in OZ, also.  The treasurer of the Country Women's Association commented to me how dress standards have changed, "why, we would get a NEW dress to go to the Show!"  O.K. I'm having a tough time seeing the standard fair goer donning a suit and tie or high heels with a linen dress. Does a shirt with buttons qualify as dressy now? Good, call me a Swell.

   Kev is a reluctant fair goer, even without a tie. But a free ticket and the promise of free food got him there. "Only for a couple hours, grumble grumble."  And lasted five, spent gawking at squawking poultry, daggy sheep, washed & blow-dried cows and eating all free food samples that we could get our grubby hands on. (Some things are universal regardless of what you call the fete.)

Kev at The Show / Poultry

We watched some young teens trying their hand at sheep shearing. Not as easy as the pros make it look.

Learning to shear lambs

Emu  - so not pretty

What I always wonder is why do so many animals look like a science experiment gone wrong? Especially some of the birds. Maybe butt-ugly has been their best defense for ages and now celebrated at state fairs and royal shows world wide.  Ewwwww.

Fancy decorated cakes

   Now let's talk pretty. I have always enjoyed looking at the decorated cake section of the fair. The science of baked cakes is nice enough but the fondant finery draws the bigger crowds everywhere.  I have no hope of ever diverting my creativity into a frosted delight. It's just not in my DNA. But I encourage  and enjoy it from others.

   My State Fair/Royal Show is done for this year. Now it's ten months of planning for the next one.

  

Getting Ready for the Show

Stewards at Work

More fussy entrants

   At this time of year, who isn't singing "Our state fair is the best state fair...don't miss it , don't even be late."  And such would be the case here in Perth, although it is called the Perth Royal Show.  It's a very busy place at the moment as everyone from vendors to show contestants scramble to get set up by Saturday morning.

Jaw Dropping Jelly-so clear!

   I couldn't tell you why my nerves were vibrating as I brought in my entries. But I was not the only entrant biting my nails, fussing about the handling of each entry, wiping away crumbs from baked goods or fingerprints from jars.  This must be the toughest day for the stewards.  So many nervous nellies coming in and fretting endlessly.  The least nervous of the bunch seemed to be the kids entering their baked creations in the Junior Division. The little oddballs actually looked excited.

      One consolation to this whole process is getting a close-up look at other entries. "She entered that?"  "Oh, that is a nice touch" "How did he get that Quince Strawberry Jelly soooo clear? And how did he keep his family from digging into it?"  The stewards and the 35-year veteran of competition was impressed by the clarity of this year's jelly.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So as everyone scrambles to get set-up (and I to work!) Watch this space for the finale.

Ribbons

I am an addict.

I have aspired to this state since I was about nine years old. On the outside, looking in. Eyes mesmerized by bright lights reflected off glass, wanting what others had. Plotting, planning, scheming how I, too, could come to glory.

Shelf after shelf loaded with bottled beauties. Tables of creations which able and amateur hands had made. Some worthy, some unworthy of the accolade draped upon them. Accolades that could be, would be, mine. Ribbons, of course. Prize ribbons at the State Fair are what we are talking about. And the first one sets a person on the path of obsession, nay, addiction to wanting more.

I had many nonstarters. First with my favorite bread to make called Sally Lunn-baked in a bundt pan. But the entry deadlines are months before the fair and I didn't develop a fever for it all until too late. The DT's hit during the fair itself, when sadly nothing could be done. A successful victor knows patience and when to strike. [This also describes terrorists, but we aren't going there.] My last year in Ohio saw my perfect opportunity to achieve goal. I was canning peaches when I had a vision. A dozen or so of the peaches were of equally small dimension. They twinkled. They winked. They waited without complaint while I carefully peeled and placed their worthy fruit into a mason jar. They held their shape and heads high when the blue Christmas ribbon I placed on the lid was replaced with a first place ribbon by the judges. They had delivered my dream.

But what to do in Perth? The Royal Show had different rules and the preservation method itself was different. I checked out the competition on my first Show here. Ha! This wouldn't be just a ribbon, this was going to be ownership of the competition. The fever never left. I measured peaches at the grower's market so they would fit my jars perfectly. OK, they gave me a funny look when they spotted this until they heard about my plan. I was then escorted to the nonpublic sorting room to have my pick of the harvest. I also carefully selected tomatoes for judge-blinding shape and size. My pickled pepper relish looked like heavenly confetti. Ammunition ready, I reached for the application.

Problem. The rules seem to indicate that every entry must have a twist-off lid to allow the judges to taste the contents. All well and good for jams & chutneys, but one never opens vegetables without using or refrigerating afterwards. I called the Chief Steward who agreed that was an issue and said to enter my canning jars as they were. Indeed.

But, in fact, my tomatoes were not rule-compliant. They were not pickled. The judges could/would not taste them...and I would not have expected them to. But who uses pickled tomatoes in their spaghetti sauce? Who pickles tomatoes? This requirement may be the entire reason that only three entries were turned in for the vegetable class. The other two were bread & butter pickles and a jar of pickled mini peppers. My red beauties were destined to be fourth in a three horse race.

My tomatoes won a red ribbon--second prize--untasted. Gosh, how bad were those peppers? You might notice that re-using commercial jars is perfectly OK here at the Royal Show. An absolute no-no at State Fairs back home.

I happened upon the Chief Steward during my day at the Show. She had the grace to look repentant. She realized about an hour after talking with me on the phone that she had given the wrong advice and had no way of correcting the information.

One can't function without a few extra fixes during the year. So during the off season, I enter a few creative contests-either ideas or writing- to scratch the itch. When one pays off, you'll be the first to know.

Perth Royal Show

I really like State Fairs. City slicker that I am, Fairs still appeal to me in a big way. And the Western Australia equivalent is the Perth Royal Show held at the end of every winter in September. It's smaller than the Ohio State Fair- after all, as huge as this state is, it only has a hair over two million inhabitants- but contains many of the requisite features.

The train drops attendees off in full view of the parade grounds where equestrian events are held. Dog handling competitions are also held here. There is a Heritage Trail full of antique equipment of all kinds: milking machinery, wood turning, wool combing & cleaning and the forebear of Australia Post-the Electric Western Australia Telegraph. Antique men demonstrated how Morse Code was used to get messages to people in the hinterlands. I dispatched a few myself.
Of course, there are the cattle, sheep and exotic animal barns. A petting zoo for the kids (so why is there a huge Brahman bull in there? Huge, he was.) I skip the rides (and who has $15 per ride to spare? The newest ride costs $20 for 2½ minutes worth of thrill. No thanks.) and the commercial buildings (uber-crowded and counterproductive to covering the grounds before I go on duty. I did, however, sample some fruit ports at a stand near the door.) Show bags- plastic bags filled with candy, games, sports stuff, girly stuff, guy stuff, dairy stuff, school stuff, you get the picture-are an excellent way to unload spare money. Just ask any parent with a formerly fat wallet. I got only one, the Follow The Yellow Brick Road bag. It contained a carrot, two apples, a tangerine along with a map and passport to collect more freebies in various buildings.
I ate lunch while watching the Grand Champion and Reserve Champion judging. Was very amused when the judges called for one last promenade of entries, a steer just flopped himself on the ground instead. (What, am I a show pony?) The light brown one in the right-hand pix was Grand Champion, the white next to him was Reserve Champion. Universities are allowed to show their animals.
My ticket was courtesy of the Country Women's Association, so off to volunteer I go. The CWA runs a tearoom on the grounds. An excellent place to escape the maddening crowds and have an inexpensive cup of tea and a plate of biscuits (cookies). The view out the window is impressive. People return year after year to our little haven. I worked the room last year and knew too many CWA'ers make Anzac biscuits (oatmeal cookies)-variety on the plate is difficult to achieve that way. So I made thumbprint cookies (filled with my homemade strawberry jam), lemon sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies both cut out into shapes and decorated with icing or maraschino cherry bits. What is not to like about a bunny with red eyes or a gingerbread kangaroo, I ask you?

You were about to ask of my canned tomatoes entered into the Cookery competition. That is my next blog entry.