Olive McKay has won a host of awards for the cakes she has entered in the Ballarat Show in years gone by. PICTURE: ADAM TRAFFORD
She’s a mother, a grandmother and the Ballarat Show’s reigning cake and pastries champion.
Now Olive McKay wants to go back-to-back. Mrs McKay enters up to 20 baked goods in the Ballarat Show every year and 2012 will be no exception.
Last year, the Ballarat home-baker’s hard work paid off, being awarded aggregate first place overall in the hotly-contested cake and pastries section.
She said she expects this year’s competition to be just as tough.
“I’ve been entering the cakes for at least 10 years . . . I get a lot of first places,” she said.
“It helps when you enter so many sections.”
Mrs McKay said the process of baking so many entries was challenging, but rewarding at the same time.
“The Monday and Tuesday before the show – those days you’re just flat out doing baking,” she said.
“It’s like a war zone – there’s stuff everywhere.”
The Ballarat baking maestro said her favourite creations were the orange cake, biscuits and chocolate cake, but there were no certainties when it came to results.
“They’re strict with the judging,” she said. “The exciting part is when you go there and you see if you’ve come a place. It’s a real buzz.”
Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society director Gerard Ballinger said the 2012 show would be an action-packed weekend for all ages.
“There will be goats, cats, poultry, arts and craft – you name it.”
Mr Ballinger said the show was a traditional event with a focus on showcasing the best of agriculture and animals, but an added focus was being included this year.
“We’re actually going to transform one of the pavilions into a youth-focused area for the show,” he said. “If any businesses who market products towards young people want to get involved, it would be a good way to showcase those products.”
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