Helen Crafter earns 'Victoria's second best yoyos'

Representing the Horsham Agricultural Society, Helen Crafter took home silver for her Yo-Yo at the 2021 Victorian Agricultural Show Convention.

Ms Crafter said she was proud of her achievements.

"I feel really proud, I was in shock. In a way it is a bit surreal," she said.

Ms Crafter's yoyos were chosen to represent Horsham at the convention held in Bendigo after a calamitous journey to selection.

It all started when her daughter tagged her in a Facebook post from the Horsham Agricultural Society, calling on cooks to submit their biscuits for a chance to represent their town at the convention.

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Ms Crafter said she was well versed in the art of the shortbread and entered to compete.

"I used to bake for the Jung Market - that was how I basically earned money to keep my head above water with the kids," she said.

"I did six kilos of butter into Yo-Yos for the Christmas market years ago, plus all of my cakes and sponges and god knows what. I hired a cool room and bought the kids a horse with the proceeds of that market.

"So just jokingly I called myself the Yo-Yo queen for years."

The first hurdle. As Ms Crafter took it upon herself to start baking, she could not find a suitable custard powder.

Her tried and true brand had seemingly vanished from shelves.

"I made a batch on Saturday with a brand of custard powder that I had, and I did not like it at all. It was all melted and weird and it didn't look right, didn't cook right.," she said.

Second. After pulling together four different types of custard powders Ms Crafter settled on the one she liked most, baking two plates of Yo-Yos.

On the day the Yo-Yos needed to be presented to the Horsham Agricultural Society, Monday, May 17, Ms Cross had to go to Melbourne for a medical appointment.

She entrusted the two plates to her 92-year-old mother to guard and take to the showground's committee.

"She put them on the table and I said don't because my son's dog Scruffy would eat them," she said.

"In COVID lockdown, she had some meals delivered for her and my brother from the Laneway Cafe, and the cheeky bugger jumped up onto the table and demolished two plates of food.

"Then she went to cover them up, and my brother Robert has an intellectual disability and is a clutz. I said don't put something over them, he'll put something on top of it and squash them."

On Monday, after finding the right custard powder and storage place, Ms Crafter was walking down Bourke Street when she got the call. Hurdle three.

"Oh my god, i've just got home and there are two biscuits missing off of each plate," her mother frantically said over the phone.

Ms Crafter decided to cut her losses; she had spares at home and told her mother to grab them instead.

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"My mum went and glad-wrapped the Yo-Yos to take to the showgrounds. I am on the train and I get a text, 'I can't get into the showgrounds, the gates are locked'," she said.

"Here I am picturing this 92-year-old who broke her back two years ago stumbling forward with these two plates and she would save the Yo-Yos before she saves herself."

Thankfully, her mother safely got into Maydale Reserve, delivered the Yo-Yos, and the waiting had begun.

Later that night, Ms Crafter received the message that she earned the selection and prepared herself for the state-wide competition in Bendigo.

"I got home at lunchtime Thursday and baked all afternoon. I did four different types of Yo-Yos with four different custard powders and finally the last batch was what I wanted. By that stage I was over it," she said.

"Sunday, I had been to the supermarket, walked out of Coles and into the car and saw that I had received a lot of Facebook notifications. My son had messaged me saying 'Grats mum'.

"I thought 'What the hell is he on about?'. Then my daughter-in-law said congratulations. I flicked up the post, saw that I had come second and thought, 'oh my god'.

"It was a real shock. Absolute shock.

"Because at that stage I was so over it and thought what will be will be. It is done and dusted."

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Ms Crafter couldn't believe she had won second place, only topped by some Yo-Yos from Mortlake.

Although her Yo-Yo competition run is now over, the amateur chef now has aspirations to grow her baking business.

"Now I am definitely going to register my kitchen. I have been waiting ten years for a kick in the bum to do it," she said.

"Years and years ago, if I wasn't an emotional mess, broke and there was drought on the farm, my dream was to market my Yo-Yos. If I had the opportunity or the confidence that is what I would have done."

She even has a name in mind for her kitchen, inspired by everyone's favourite foul-mouthed TV chef.

"I have been sitting here thinking for the last week. I have got the giggles, my son always calls me Helza - so I thought Helza's Kitchen," she said.

Ms Crafter said the key to making quality Yo-Yos was to cook them low and slow.

Her real secret: use your passion to guide whatever you do in the kitchen - or life.

"You go with your passion. It is something I have always enjoyed making and I take pride in what I do and what I cook," she said.

"Cooking is for enjoyment. I often say I cook when I am angry because it is an outlet when you are stirred up.

"You go with the things you enjoy and I love cooking."

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