THE Helensburgh tearoom owner and expert baker behind the Scottish Baking Awards is offering one lucky pupil from a Helensburgh and Lomond primary school the chance to win a free entry into the competition.

Melanie Andrews, who runs the Craigard Tearoom in Sinclair Street, is keen that as well as showcasing the talents of the very best bakers from across Scotland, the awards should encourage young people to get creative in the kitchen.

As well as one free entry in the competition’s junior category (open to young people aged from 8-16), the winner will also get the chance to pick up valuable experience from the awards’ talented judges at a series of master classes at the event, which will be held at the Mar Hall Hotel in Bishopton on September 5.

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All you have to do is to answer this very simple Scottish baking question, particularly appropriate to the New Year: What is Black Bun?

There’s no limit on the number of pupils who can enter the competition from each school.

To enter, just send your answer, along with your name, age and the name of your school, by email to andrewsmelanie@sky.com by March 31 at the latest.

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In addition to the junior category, there are seven main classes in the awards: specialist baking (itself including vegan, dairy-free, sugar-free and gluten-free categories), home baking, patisserie, sugarcraft, cake artistry and novelty cakes, chocolate, and bread.

The judging panel includes hotelier and novelist Lady Claire Macdonald, Phil Jensen from Extreme Cakemakers, award-winning chocolatier Shona Sutherland, past Masterchef winner Gary MacLean, and cake artist Anna Taylor Dillon.

See scottishbakingawards.co.uk for more information about the competition and categories, and to enter online.

Entries in all the categories will close in early July.

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