What are you entering in this year's culinary section of the Agricultural Exhibition? Is it grandma's special peach cobbler made with Bermuda peaches, or is it your best chocolate fudge cake? Every year the annual exhibition is a time when people put their best foot forward, or their best dish, to be tasted, inspected and judged to win either a first, second or third place ribbon.

But whether you win or not does not seem to be a deterrent against entering again and again.

Terri Durrant has entered her baked goods in the exhibition's amateur culinary section since she was 17-years-old, some 21 years ago.

"When I was 17, I entered 13 items in the exhibition and I didn't win anything. Every year since, I have entered seven or eight items but now I'm competing with my daughter,'' Mrs. Durrant said.

She added: "I always submit my chocolate fudge cake -- which has won six firsts and two seconds -- and my apple sauce cake.

"This year, along with my cakes, I will enter rolls, hot cross buns, orange bread, banana muffins, and banana bread.

"Every year I say that I shouldn't bother entering anything but then I say what the heck, it's fun!'' Mrs. Durrant also said she does a lot of baking for her family, and "wherever I worked through the years I always made the birthday cakes. My most requested cake in the office is orange cake.'' She added that she never buys store-bought cookies and cakes. "They just don't taste the same.'' Head of the Bermuda Chefs Association Serge Bottelli, who is among one of the many chefs who participate in the exhibition every year, said a few changes were being made to help better present the chefs' dishes. "What we try to do is emphasise all the aspects that are in the Agricultural Exhibition guidelines for the professional culinary competition.

"This year we have concentrated on redoing the guidelines to be more international based. We also had the opportunity to change the layout of the professional culinary section and this year it will be a little be more pretty to look at.'' Mr. Bottelli added that all professional chefs have been invited to participate, entering anything from desserts to breads, fish and poultry.

There is also a junior section for junior chefs and apprentices.

"This year we are promoting the best in show for students and the winner will be sent to the food show in New York. We also have a trophy for best in show for the professionals,'' Mr. Bottelli said.

Organiser of the amateur food products division, Debra Paynter, said although the layout of the amateur section is pretty much the same format, this year in celebration of the exhibition's 60th anniversary there will be an extra focus on healthy lunch boxes.

"School lunch boxes have always been part of the amateur culinary section but since this is the 60th anniversary we decided to give a prize out to the winner and really try to promote it,'' Ms Paynter said.

She added: "The lunches are put together by primary students and they are made with Bermuda homegrown vegetables. Many of the kids put the recipe in the box to let you know how things were made. This year there is a healthy lunch box award, one for primary 1-4 and another for primary 5-7.'' Ms Paynter said the packed lunch is judged on nutritional content, explanation of a balanced diet, choice and originality of lunch and the inclusion of homemade products, eye appeal and presentation.

"There will also be an array of food stuff to be judged like cakes, cookies, cup cakes, jams. All Bermuda preserved fruits have to be made from Bermuda grown fruits and vegetables. We also have a honey section where participants have to make products using Bermuda honey. Cakes will be judged on decoration only.

"We have about 22 judges that come in and judge the Wednesday before the show and they do taste the food, and they will also judge on texture. Most of the judges are mainly home economics teachers in the school system and we have a few dietitians.'' Ms Paynter also stressed the importance of children picking up the exhibition catalogue so they can know what sections they want to enter and how many items they need to bring.

Best of Bermuda cooking Food must be brought in on Tuesday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Judging will take place on Wednesday morning.

Organiser of the professional culinary section, Lolly Burnett-Herkes, said there are a few changes in the professional culinary competition.

"The changes have been made at the suggestion of the Professional Chefs Association -- all entries will be displayed on skirted tables etc.

"Each exhibit will be judged on its own merit and there will not be competition within a class which will make judging a lot easier,'' Mrs.

Burnett-Herkes said.

She added that all the exhibits were now being delivered early in the morning between 6 a.m. and 8.45 a.m. before being judged at 9 a.m.

"The number of classes have been reduced from 12 to 10 and one class is set aside for students. Other changes include a seafood or vegetarian entree section, and then the meat and poultry are together as always. Special occasion cakes and wedding cakes are now in the same class.''