Catering staff from across Sanctuary Care put their culinary skills to the test as they went head to head in a festive bake off.

The organisation’s annual Christmas cake competition took place at its Worcester office with some stunning masterpieces created by talented staff from Sanctuary Care’s homes and schemes across the country.

The winning entry was a Wallace and Gromit-themed cake lovingly prepared by Natalie Larkin and Leonie Dibden from Dunboyne Court, Sanctuary’s newest independent living scheme in Torquay.

The panel of judges with the envious task of sampling the mouth-watering creations comprised Steve Wood, the organisation’s Group Director – Care and Support, Sanctuary’s Hotel and Catering Services manager Carole Dormer, Unilever’s Regional Account Executive Peter Hammond and Sanctuary’s Worcester office catering manager Paul Nicholls.

Steve commented: “The standard of the cakes was fantastic and overall this year’s entries were the best we’ve had in the four years that we’ve been running the competition. I’m so pleased that we’ve such talented people working for us at Sanctuary Care.”

In second place was a stunning sleigh created by Leh Bysouth from Chadwell House Care Home in Romford, Essex. This cake also won the prize for the best novelty cake and also won the Sanctuary staff vote for best design. In third place came Carole Shrosbree from Shaftesbury Court Care Home in Erith, Kent. The highly commended prize went to Angela Coulson from Beach Lawns Care Home in Weston-super-Mare.

Sanctuary’s Hotel and Catering Services Support Manager Karl Evans, who organised the competition said: “Every year our staff produce some incredible entries and we always think they can’t get any better but this year they have really excelled themselves. We have some exceptionally talented people catering for the residents in our homes and schemes and we are so proud of them.”

Staff spent weeks planning and perfecting their entries and each cake was marked on presentation, innovation and design, festivity and of course taste and texture. The prizes for the winners of Thursday’s competition were £250 for first place, £100 for second, £50 for third, £100 for the novelty cake and a Unilever hamper for the Sanctuary staff prize.