THE call is out from the men’s cookery convenor – come on guys and have a go, this Casterton P&A Show, next Saturday, 12 November.

Convenor, Ms X (name withheld to prevent undue influence!) said the men of the region were being encouraged to demonstrate their cooking skills or even just “give it a crack”.

“We need to see more men’s cookery this year,” she said.

“No one did a chocolate cake, no one did a slice last year and these are simple things that most handy blokes could master.”

The men can choose between beer bread, four scones, chocolate cake, or their choice of slices or biscuits.

While they may craft their cakes and scones and biscuits however they wish, a specific beer bread recipe available in the show booklet must be followed exactly – with one allowance.

“You can use any kind of beer,” Ms X said.

She also said signs of well-baked goods, which the judges on the day would be looking for, included the food not being undercooked – runny in the middle – or dry.

“They have a look and see how cooked it is inside the cake – that’s what they do with the beer bread and the scones,” she said.

“Everything gets cut and checked and looked.”

Budding entries

FLOWERS may not sound like the most interesting thing the Show has to offer but the flower section always has to deal with one of the biggest and most common controversies and questions:

What constitutes a bud?

Ms X said there was a clear standard set for the rose bud class.

While a rose bud is, of course, not full blown and open, it also should not be completely closed – its petals just peeking open.

“Some people know but not a lot of people know,” Ms X said.

Other particular criteria for the roses include keeping only one or two leaves.

Picture perfect

THE show is also an opportunity to whip out a camera – including your phone camera – and capture that magic moment or view, to stand out from the rest in the photography section.

A diverse field of entries is particularly sought in the “#iamcasterton” tourism competition, which encourages people to capture the best the Casterton district has to offer.

Former judge, Ms Y said many of the few entries the competition had, in the past, focused on places or things which were already well-known – in particular, the Ess Lagoon.

“Casterton has so many iconic scenes and views – the main street, the Kelpie Trail and its associated features, sporting and community events that are unique to our town,” she said.

“The Kelpie Muster is an obvious choice but I think I’ve only seen one entry.”

The winning photograph may be used in promotional material by the Casterton Business and Development Association.

In the other sections of photography – including the primary and secondary schools and the open competition – landscapes, cityscapes, people and animals are among the array of potential subjects which could be captured.

Ms Y also said there was one particular tip for potential entrants to keep in mind when snapping their pics.

“Look at everything in the frame,” she said.

“It’s all good to take a photo of a person, but if they’re standing in front of a verandah post, or even a tree branch and it looks like the post is coming out of the top of their head and isn’t part of the desired subject of the photo, you’ve missed the boat.

“There’s so many brilliant photos that come through the show and (in) quite a few … the impact is taken away because there’s something in the photograph that the photographer hasn’t acknowledged, or that doesn’t belong there.”