The Best Slice

Bakers from across Australia will compete for the prestige of baking the nation’s best vanilla slice on September 1.

Victoria’s Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph seeks to find a slice that “when tasted, should reveal a custard with a creamy smooth texture and a balance of vanilla taste with a crisp, crunchy pastry topped with a smooth and shiny glaze/fondant”.

The event has been held in Ouyen, in north-west Victoria, about 100km south of Mildura, since 1998 and it took off again after the then Victorian Premier, Jeff Kennett, a great fan of the slice, proclaimed vanilla slices to be so good they should have a competition to determine the best vanilla slice in the country.

Ouyen businesses will join in the carnival atmosphere to provide a fun day for all and there will be rides and street stalls, local foods, products and displays, face painting and a jumping castle, with other key events of the day are a display of local patchwork, the Mallee Art Show and free entertainment from local performers.

Report by a slice loving Mole