My LEON win

We took part in an exciting children’s cookery competition run by LEON Restaurants called ‘Cook 5’. You have to cook a savoury dish and explain how to make it. This is put on the LEON website, and people vote on their favourite dish.  The child with the most votes each month wins a prize. Christopher and I were winners of the month last year.

It is called ‘Cook 5’ because LEON would like you to cook five savoury dishes. This year LEON put all the children’s names who cooked five dishes in a hat and my name was drawn out and I won £2500! I then got invited to LEON’s restaurant in Bankside, London for lunch with Rachel and Orla, who helped organize the 'Cook5' competition. From the new menu, I had a Fish Finger Wrap, Christopher had The Chicken Burger and Matthew had the Brazillian Black Bean Salad. We also had lots of lovely treats. It was delicious.

Photo by Leon Restaurants

Photo by Leon Restaurants

After that we took a trip to the head office, where the boss John Vincent taught my family how to make his special pork, apricot and onion meatballs from one of the LEON cookbooks. I cooked my ‘Cheesy Bacon Parcels’, Christopher cooked his 'Super Swirly Pizza Whirls', and Matthew did his 'Jewelled Salad' (which was an adaption to LEON's original recipe), and they were all gobbled up by us and the LEON staff! I then got presented with my cheque (In a Golden Envelope!!) and my brothers and me got a goodie bag. We had an amazing day with LEON. We finished our day by going to Kings Cross LEON, just to meet one of our favourite LEON people, Claire, who was delighted to hear my news.

You can take part on http://leonrestaurants.co.uk/cook5

Charlotte

Photo by Leon Restaurants

Photo by Leon Restaurants

Marmalade Magic entry for Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year Awards

Marmalade Magic

As I had made so much marmalade this year, I decided it would make a good photo.  I was pleased with the photo and sent it to the the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year Awards.  I am so pleased that it has been shortlisted for a people's choice vote.

When I took my photo, I started stacking all my marmalades in a stack and decided because it was a sunny day, it would make a great picture with my perfect marmalade.  In the photo you will see a lovely orange glow as the sun comes through the jars.

If you would like to vote for me for the Food Photographer of the Year awards:

1.  go to www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com
2.  click on the pink button vote now
3.  click on Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year
4.  go to nearly the bottom of the page to the Young 11-14 category
5.  click on my photo "Marmalade Magic"

I would be very grateful of your vote.


This photo shows my favourite type of marmalade made with the best Ave Maria Seville Oranges.  These are very special as they are organic and make the best marmalade.  They are full of pectin and the marmalade sets in minutes.  Everyone loves the taste of the marmalade.  I bought them from Waitrose this year, when they had just arrived and even helped an elderly lady selecting hers.  She was very excited when I told her I had won the Children's Category of the World's Original Marmalade Awards a few years ago and I told her all about it. The jars and lids are from Love Jars, I especially like these patterned lids on my marmalade.

We went to the World's Original Marmalade Awards this year and I was proud that I entered 3 marmalade categories with my Blood Orange, Suffolk Lemon and Ave Maria Seville marmalades.  I was pleased to get three Silver Awards.  We had a great time visting Dalemain Mansion, going on the Ullswater Steamer and watching Peter Sidwell and Smokey Jo with their cookery demonstrations at Rheged.