“Hostess of the year” contest

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32708, 10 September 1971, Page 5

“Hostess of the year” contest

Somewhere in New Zealand is the 1971 “Hostess of the Year.” She does not know it yet, but she has won a trip to London, a week’s course at the Cordon Bleu School of Cookery, $2OO cash to spend in London, appliances for her kitchen, a selection of wines and a parcel of foods.

The award was established last year and generated much interest from women who like entertaining. Mrs Jillian Cooper, of St Albans Street, Christchurch, was third prize winner last year.

Once again the challenge of putting down on paper the amount of detail that goes into planning a dinner party has been taken up by hundreds of women. One thing has been proved—New Zealand women are far from being the “roast and two veges” cooks of their reputation.

The contest. required that entrants plan a dinner party for eight persons starting from the moment the thought and reason for such a party was generated, through shopping, menu planning, selection and service of wines, table setting, and all the little things that distinguish a good hostess. It was not until entries started coming in from all over the country that the sponsors realised the size of the task they had set. But the entrants responded well and in many cases said how much they had enjoyed the stimulation of the exercise of entering the contest. Most wrote of the enjoyment of giving the party on which they based their entries. Preliminary judging was done by Miss Tui Flower,

home economist for the “Home Journal,” Mr David Corban, chairman of Corbans Wines, and Mr David Bagley, of ETA Foods. The entries which they considered best have now been sent to London, where the final decision will ne made by Miss Rosemary Hume and Miss Muriel Downes, co-principals .of the Cordon Bleu School of Cookery. The four finalists, together with the top-placed Auckland entrant and the winner of a special table-setting prize, will gather at a special presentation dinner in Auckland on Sunday, September 26. Not until uie telephone rings and, direct from London, Miss Downes asks to speak to one of them, will the final winner of the competition be known. Among the guests at the dinner will be last year’s winner, Mrs Bernice Stevens, of Mairangi Bay, and her husband.