It’s #NationalShortbreadDay so what better time to announce the categories for the first ever World Shortbread Championships, which will take place in Inverness on 21 November this year.
Battling it out for the shortbread honours will be junior bakers and amateur bakers alongside professionals, with traditional and speciality categories leading to the crowning of the first World Shortbread Champion!
Overseeing all the fun and tasting on the day is none other than professional chef, food writer and broadcaster Sarah Rankin – who also happens to celebrate her birthday on World Shortbread Day! 
Looking ahead to the World Shortbread Championship, Sarah commented: “I am thrilled to be back in my beloved Inverness hosting the first World Shortbread Championships. I have always maintained that food is love, and that cooking, sharing and eating great food brings us together like nothing else. I know that the spirit of the Shortbread Showdown will be alive and well in the new World Champs, and I can’t wait to meet the bakers and share their stories.”
James Martin, Director of Community, Leisure and Sport at High Life Highland said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have Sarah onboard for the first ever World Shortbread Championships here in Inverness and look forward to working with her.
“It’s really exciting for High Life Highland to be the driving force behind this celebratory, competitive event. We hope it attracts a wide variety of competitors from enthusiastic young people, passionate home bakers as well as a host of professional chefs and bakers – and hopefully from all corners of the globe!”
The categories for Shortbread World Championships are:
- Best Junior Baker
- Best Amateur Baker
- Best Professional
Participants can enter a traditional shortbread and a speciality shortbread, or they can just enter one or the other. The winner of each category will go forward to the grand final with the baker with the most points being crowned Champion.
The World Shortbread Championships build on the very popular Shortbread Showdown, which has been a staple in the Visit Inverness and Loch Ness calendar for the last three years. 
It is thought that a form of shortbread first appeared around the 12th century in Scotland but the first printed recipe was not published until 1736. Shortbread was seen as a luxury item and reserved for special occasions such as Christmas, Hogmanay and weddings.
You can keep an eye on all things World Shortbread Championships by visiting the dedicated website: www.shortbread.world. Potential competitors can expect an announcement in due course about entry opening and closing dates.
