A realistic-looking model of a cauliflower complete with caterpillars has won awards at the Gore Garden Club harvest show.
Jill Youngson, of Gore, entered the iced cake in the decorated cake section, which it won.
The exhibit also won champion of the baking section and the Gore Garden Club artisan wooden trophy.
Her husband Ken entered vegetables in the show and in keeping with the theme of the show — the good, the bad and the ugly — Mrs Youngson decided on making a cauliflowershaped cake, she said.
‘‘I did it as a bit of a laugh.’’
Mr Youngson’s cauliflowers in the garden did not have any caterpillars on them like the cake, she said.
She made a chocolate mud cake in a steamed pudding bowl to get the basic outline.
She covered it with white icing balls to represent the flesh of the cauliflower and made green leaves out of icing.
‘‘I put holes in the leaves and made the edges look as if they had been chewed off.’’
She included butterfly eggs made of icing.
Amy Ritchie, of Gore, won the champion cut flower with her Hydrangea paniculata ‘‘Limelight’’.
Her hydrangeas had had a very good season, Ms Ritchie said.
‘‘Excellent year for hydrangeas.’’
She also won reserve champion overall, winning the Hallam Smith memorial vase.
Show publicity officer Noreen Thomas said the harvest show had gone very well.
‘‘The thing that made this show so successful was our theme — the good, the bad and the ugly.’’
Having television presenter Ruud Kleinpaste, aka The Bug Man, speak had been popular as had the involvement of the schools.
Pupils had made insects with Dunedin artist Janet de Wagt and East Gore Art Centre art projects officer Jacqui Byars, which were displayed at the show.
Mr Kleinpaste also spoke to 700 preschoolers and primary school pupils.
‘‘Within minutes of talking he had the children captivated.’’
Flower entries were down in some categories but up in others.
‘‘The flower entries are amazing considering the weather that we’ve had.
‘‘It’s quite stunning to get really good exhibits.’’
One aim of the event was to showcase the club and involve the community, Mrs Thomas said.
There had been good support from businesses who had sponsored the scones for the Devonshire tea.
