5-Week HCVs arrive: The Cook-Off to End All Cook-Offs

As the 5-Week Host Country Venturers arrived at Field Base last night, it was only right that we welcome them to Raleigh life in style, a la Ready Steady Cook. Each of the four teams were lined up and allowed, one member at a time, to race forward and grab an item from the Magic Box of Tricks.

Oli (armed with spatula) threatens anyone who has the audacity to take more than one ingredient at a time
This contained such wonders as macaroni, guava jelly, energy bars, tins of pork & beans, tuna, jelly sweets and milk powder.

Jana whips his HCV team of Masterchefs into a frenzy
...but Alex holds her nerve and supervises her team with steely determination
With such a feast of possible combinations, it was no surprise when judges Oscar, Kate & Oli were presented with a plethora of, er, ‘interesting’ dishes. The judges gamely worked their way through ‘Ocean Surprise’, ‘Sweet Raleigh’, ‘Volcan Turrialba’, ‘Happy Unborn Chicken’ & ‘Sunrise Pasta’.

Course 1: "Sopa" or "Little Soup" (and trust us, there was nothing little about this soup which contained super noodles, sugar, sweetcorn, cinnamon, peas, condensed milk and crushed biscuits!)
Course 2: "Sunshine Pasta"
Course 3: "Sweet Raleigh"
Perhaps the most unnerving moment was upon preparing to launch into a dessert dish covered in jam being advised to 'dig deep in order to uncover the pasta'. An interesting mix of both sweet and savoury that ultimately won Tico Kiwi the title of Victors.

The judges, clutching their heads in an agony of indecision, "deliberate, cogitate and digest" in Lloyd Grossman's honour
To the Victor, the Spoils (a chance to have their photo taken with the distinguished, celebrity judges - truly a prize that money cannot buy)
I am happy to report all judges are alive and well, although we were seen gingerly selecting the most bland options from the breakfast buffet this morning :-)

Zero listening out.....