The Great Leventhorpe Bake-Off 2023

Today's events began with The Great Leventhorpe Bake Off in which students placed their bets as to which member of staff would tease the tastebuds of our scrupulous judge duo - Mary and Paul (aka Ms Simpson and Mr Francis)

And there was some tough competition in the DT kitchen:

Mr Beardsworth attempted to wow with his signature namesake dish which, like the man himself (according to Mr Beardsworth), was a 'great big sweetheart' while Mrs Mitchell's self-portrait of Lemon & Poppy Seed Cupcakes most certainly impressed the judges in their taste and texture, not to mention their uncanny resemblance to their creator!

Monsieur Belt's Burnt Basque Cheesecake tasted better than it looked (burnt!) while Mr Sydes' 3 Types of Sausage Roll (inspired by Greggs) sadly didn't do much to raise the game!

Miss O'Neill's impressive 4 Tier Brownie Cake looked to die for whilst the less said about Ms Watson's attempt at a traditional birthday cake is probably best...

But it was Mr Tooze, flying the flag for his home country, who impressed the judges by creating a Welsh masterpiece of Rarebit Sourdough followed by Bara Brith (a traditional Welsh fruit and tea loaf) Bread and Butter Pudding.  His attempts to woo with daffodils and Welsh music may perhaps have been what swayed them but his ability to produce not one but two courses meant that our judges declared him the 'whole package' and ultimate winner!

Well done (or 'da iawn') to our Bake Off Champion of 2023 - Mr Tooze!

THE HOT ONES

In the Hall at lunchtime was another nerve-wracking battle of wits played out in our very own live episode of the Hot Ones!

Hosted by our entertaining compares for the week, Lizzie Stables and Bobby Adams, the school hall was jam-packed with an audience on the edge of their seats and eager to see who would face that harshest of weapons: the spicy chicken wing!

Mr Beardsworth and last-minute stand-in Miss Wright took to the stage and challenged sixth-formers Shea Reynolds and Stanley Stafford to a battle of brains as well as taste buds (or lack thereof) in a fight to withstand the heat...with plenty of water, milk and tissues at the ready!

With each round of general knowledge, the losing side was forced to eat ever-increasingly spicy specimens and, to begin with it, looked as though the teachers were home and dry.  However, a combination of Shea's brains and Mr Beardsworth's hunger meant that the final quick-fire round resulted in both teams facing 'Da Bomb' - our hottest-ever recipe!

Both teams did themselves proud and despite his cast-iron stomach, there were even a few tears in the eyes and beads of sweat to be seen on Mr Beardsworth's face by the end, not to mention nose blowing and complaining about a sore mouth all afternoon (Shea)!

All in a good cause, Shea!