Perth will come alive to the smell of mouth-watering cakes, jams and bread courtesy of the Great Parish Bake Off today.
Churches across the region and Perth YMCA have joined together to deliver the spectacular Perth Alive Festival on the North Inch from noon until 4.30pm.
The heat will be turned up at this year’s event when in addition to live music, sports, giant inflatables, puppets and children’s activities bakers from around Perthshire present their delicacies for judging in the Great Parish Bake Off.
Members of 13 churches have been battling it out in heats over the past two months, with each church submitting the best entries for the final, being held during the Perth Alive Festival.
The Great Parish Bake Off was the brainchild of Becky Erskine from Craigie and Moncreiffe Church of Scotland. She said: “This is a wonderful way of uniting churches and organisations across Perthshire.
“People greatly enjoy the challenges of baking and this is a fantastic way to embrace skill, talent and celebrate community spirit.
“By kind donation, the entrants have offered the sale of their bakes at the end of the festival, so many people will be able to sample the best home baking Perthshire churches have to offer.”
Judges for the Great Parish Bake Off will include Provost of Perth and Kinross Liz Grant and the head baker from Perth’s Murrays the Bakers, Colin Laing. Murrays is the 2015 World Scotch Pie champion.
The panel will be rounded off by the head pastry chef at 63 Tay Street one of only 15 restaurants in Scotland to hold the Eat Scotland Gold Award Lee Steele.
Provost Liz Grant said “This is a marvellous community event and I look forward very much to the challenge of judging the bake off.”
Among the musicians taking part in the festival is acclaimed singer songwriter Steph Macleod. There will also be the opportunity to listen to an international choir made up of young people who are attending a bible school in Perth over the summer.
Entry to the festival is free and everyone is welcome, whether they attend church or not.