Care home residents challenged to create royal celebration cake

Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) has launched its Novelty 90th Birthday Cake Challenge to celebrate the Queen’s official birthday in June.

Residents from care homes across the UK are invited to get involved and create a special royal celebration cake for the Queen’s summer birthday, with the chance to win prizes including tickets to a National Trust venue of their choice.

The competition has been launched in collaboration with National Association of Activity Providers (NAPA) and the National Trust and challenges care home residents to create a birthday cake based on their favourite royal memories.

Elderly care development chef at UFS, Paul Wright is one of the competition judges. He commented: "Food can be an amazingly powerful link to our pasts. By focusing the competition around residents’ favourite memories – everyone can get involved in the royal celebrations. It doesn’t matter if it’s a photo, poem, or story – we just want to see residents’ inspiration coming through.”

Care homes are also being encouraged to hold a royal birthday street party on 12 June and bake their cake for the event.

The judging panel is headed up by NAPA director, Sylvie Silver who will select 20 of the best entries to be featured in a nostalgic baking book in the style of a 1950s Stork cookbook, while the 20 shortlisted entries will also receive tickets to the Cake & Bake Show.

The top five entries will win an overnight stay in London for the NAPA Gala evening where the overall winner will be decided by a ballot. The winner will receive five tickets to a National Trust venue of their choice.

Judges will be looking for original, visually appealing cakes that have a connection to the royal family, as well cakes that show evidence of resident participation during the development process.

All entries must be received by 15 July and the shortlist will be revealed on 26 July with the overall winner being decided on 21 September at the NAPA Gala and must contain an explanation of why their cake should win with a message for Her Majesty and photo of the cake.

For more information on how to enter, visit: www.ufs.com/elderlycare.