Forty-year-old recipe creates winning pavlova

Auckland’s best pavlova has been discovered at the second annual Nosh Pavlova competition. Heather Hamilton was awarded first place in the competition with a recipe she has been using for more than 40 years.



Heather competed against 45 other keen home bakers, foodies and sweet-tooth aficionados for the title and the $500 Nosh Dosh prize. Special guest judge and kiwi culinary queen Tui Flower has a seemingly simple formula for the perfect pav: “The pavlova needs a marshmallow middle and a crisp outside”.



Christmas was the theme of the day and the pavs featured an array of seasonal berries and fruit and festive decorations. Entrants in the annual competition raised the bar with everything from a meringue Santa and toffeed cherries to pistachio crusts and holly. The winners on the day though were traditional, marshmallowy pavs with perfectly whipped cream.



The pavlovas were judged on: appearance and consistency of meringue; size and shape; taste; texture; and presentation and decoration. Nosh chef Paula Cartwright says the winning pav stood out from the beginning.



Heather’s classic Christmas-themed pavlova was noted by judges as looking delectable “right from the start” as it was “nicely decorated with a very Christmas feel about it”.



Heather’s tried and true family-famous recipe calls for reducing the amount of sugar in the recipe to make for a more ‘marshmallowier’ centre and a thinner crust. She also recommends cooking pavs only when the weather is less humid and beating your egg whites at room temperature.



The youngest entrant for the competition, eight year old Jared Matthias from Three King’s Primary School, was given a special mention from the judges for his enormous efforts and obvious talent. They noted his pavlova was a “real achievement”.



Winners are as follows:

First prize: Heather Hamilton

Runner up: Rachel Thomson

Runner up: Linda Alcock