17th Jun 2008 - 00:00
Abstract
A new talent was found at the prestigious Guild of Food Writers Annual Awards in London. However, Rebecca Carey is not an experienced chef or journalist; she is a 15-year-old pupil from Helston in Cornwall, who was this year's winner of the inaugural WriteIt! competition run by the Guild for budding young food writers.
Rebecca's article on 'The Perfect Belgian Waffle', her favourite dish in her local café, impressed the judges for the 'lively and deliciously evocative' picture she painted of the place and the food. Guild Chair, Gilli Cliff commented: "Rebecca's writing is a great example of what the Guild of Food Writers stands for: excellent writing and a real passion for good food. The standard of entries for this, the first ever WriteIt! competition, was extremely high, boding well for the future of food writing and broadcasting in the years to come. Rebecca's prize includes a day working with WriteIt!, judge and food writer, Alastair Hendy, plus a lap top from competition sponsors Sacla. The judges also included Daily Telegraph feature writer, Xanthe Clay, editor Lewis Esson and author Hattie Ellis, who herself won the Derek Cooper Award for Campaigning and Investigative Food Writing on the same night. Competition runner-up was 17-year-old Catherine Dunleavy from Berkshire , whose passionate piece, 'The Perfect Slice', eloquently described her love of the traditional sandwich cake over the now fashionable cupcake. Catherine's prize is a £100 voucher for the food lovers' bookshop, Books For Cooks. The judges also commended the entry from 16-year-old Deborah Kinghan from County Down in Northern Ireland for her personal, investigative piece, 'Foraging for Fairtrade'.