St Helens & District Scouts held the annual Taste of the World competition for Scouts in St Helens on 23 Jun 2024.
Scouts from the 1st St Helens (YMCA), alongside teams from 8 teams from 7 St Helens Scout groups took part. Scouts are required to cook a two-course meal (either a starter and main, or a main and dessert) from a randomly drawn country.
This year, the 1st St Helens (YMCA) drew Serbia as our country, and our Scouts got to work researching Serbian cuisine and culture in preparation for the competition. From practicing their chosen dishes, to researching Serbia for their presentation, the Scouts put in an incredible effort to perform at their highest on event day.
At the event, the Scouts prepared pljeskavica (traditional Serbian burgers), with ajvar sauce and fried onions, krompir salata (Serbian potato salad), and Balkan palačinke (pancakes), a common dessert across the Balkan region, including Serbia. The judges were impressed with the level of skill shown in the cooking portion, especially as the Scouts were cooking on an open fire.


Following the cooking portion of the event, the Scouts then did a five-minute presentation on Serbia, covering its history, culture, cuisine and the history of Scouting in Serbia.

The judges were so impressed with the work put in by our Scouts, that they awarded the 1st St Helens (YMCA) first place in both cooking and presentation.
Congratulations to our Scouts! You should be extremely proud of your result!
Gavin
Section Leader – Scouts