Judges get more than they bargained for with inaugural men's baking competition at Hawkesbury Show 2019

It would be judged by the women themselves, and together they offered-up $100 prize money for the winner.

The category was named Men's Baking for the Office or Work Party, and with it, the women hoped to attract a new demographic.

Sure, they anticipated some tongue-in-cheek entries - even some humorous ones - but when judging came around they realised they got more than they bargained for.

"We've been laughing about it ever since," giggled Mountain Lagoon's Kooryn Sheaves, co-organiser of the competition.

It had been Maree's idea: shortly before she passed away, she had decried the fact that men in her workplace were never asked to 'bake' for office parties.

According to Kooryn, Maree saw no reason - other than "negative social stereotyping" - why men should not participate in baking for these parties.

"In the final days of her life, bedside discussion turned with a smile and laugh to ways to promote men's baking skills, and the possibility of a prize in the Hawkesbury Show was talked about," Kooryn said.

The Men's Baking for the Office or Work Party competition was the first male-specific cooking category ever included at the Hawkesbury Show. And in terms of categories, it was incredibly specific.

But that didn't dissuade the men of the Hawkesbury from getting creative - not only in their interpretations of the phrase 'office party', but also their translations of the term 'baking'.

Entrants were asked to provide paperwork with their entries, covering three sections: Ingredients, Method, and Benefits.

To say the entries (and the paperwork) were varied is an understatement. Everything from the classics like Dark Ginger Cake and Rocky Road were covered, right through to non-baking treats like Surprise Toastie Fingers, and downright humorous surprises like Aussie San Choy Bow - aka lamb chops on lettuce leaves - (once again, definitely not baking!).

A category-affirming 18 entries were received from men across the Hawkesbury, and Kooryn said the variations in the exhibits represented the variety of office and work parties we have in our area.

"We have party food fit for the corporate end of town, to food made on a campfire in the paddock where outdoor workers gather around for a feed and a yarn," she said.

The women decided Maree's life-long friend Janesse Johnston - an avid baker - would judge the category, supported by a mob of girlfriends including Kooryn and fellow locals Jana Cironis and Susie Kirkpatrick.

Janesse said they all "learnt a lot" from the entrants.

"Firstly we expected cakes, slices and biscuits were the staples of party food. But for men of the Hawkesbury this is not the case - we have chops, sausages, pizza and cakes and this was a surprise," she said.

"On reflection we should have anticipated this. We live in a rural community where people still work outside and light a fire to cook on for smoko and lunch."

Regardless, the women were pleased as punch, and said the category confirmed that cooking remained "a highly competitive and contested area between the old conservatives and the new liberals".

Alas, some of the 'meatier' entries couldn't be displayed at the show; there were issues around the dishes sitting in a glass cabinet for three days.

The judges said the best thing about the competition was that the men had fun with it - and had a laugh in the process. For instance, Lionel Buckett, the maker of the humorous Aussie San Choy Bow, reportedly complained that his chops on lettuce leaves had not been taste-tested. How could he tell? There were no bite pieces missing from the chop.

Similarly, the women stated that a steward had been concerned about "a delightful display of penis-shaped biscuits decorated with tiny faces." These were reportedly placed on the top shelf, out of view of children.

The entrant's notes for Surprise Toastie Fingers, which call for the addition of pretty much anything knocking about in the fridge, indicated the main benefit of the dish was that it was a "palate expander". The judges said: "This is a baking competition, and while some men may consider toasting produce [equals] baking, I do not."

An entry named Men Bake Better resembled a plate of Oreo biscuits. Indeed, the method called for purchasing a packet of Tim Tams (a minor discrepancy, all things considered), placing them on a plate, and covering it with cling wrap. The judges said: "This is a baking competition and it is expected that you would bake and not [buy] Arnott's. The sooner we rid the office/work parties of this scourge the better."

In the end, the blue ribbon went to Darius Baxter - an employee at Officeworks Mulgrave who is reportedly a favourite at his workplace parties - for his scrumptious-looking Lemon Meringue Cake. The judges said: "[A] feast for the eyes and mouth. Finally a man who can bake."

One thing is for certain: Maree would have loved it.