Brae pupils win enterprise award with peerie cook book

A group of business-minded youngsters from Brae High School were thrilled to win an enterprise award for the way they created, marketed and sold a recipe book.

The pupils formed a company called Slestered Peenie and published a Peerie Book of Cook.

It included recipes from former Brae High School pupil and Great British Bake Off finalist James Morton and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

The group, Rebecca Hughson, Hayley Hardy, Emma Sandison, Nala Williamson, Meghann Reeder, Julie Dennison and Benedict Raikes, almost did not enter the Young Enterprise Scotland competition because the team was not big enough. But after more members were found they decided to create the book and arranged for 600 to be printed.

That turned out to be a good decision as the book proved popular. Some 94 per cent of the 600 copies have been sold and the team plans to have more printed.

On Tuesday night they were named as the Shetland area winners of the Young Enterprise Scotland award at a ceremony in the Shetland Museum. They will now go to the national final in Glasgow.

Slestered Peenie managing director Nala said she was shocked to win.

“It’s amazing. I just had it in my head there was no way we were winning. I was so certain. Everything [we did] seemed to be so rushed but it seemed to work out.”

Prior to being named winners marketing director Meghann said while the project, which started in August, had been “stressful and difficult” those involved had learned a lot from the experience.

“You learn how to work more closely as part of a team, you have to depend on each other for things. You have to communicate to get things done.

“There were a few times when our communication broke down but you figure it out soon enough.”

As well as the high profile contributors Slestered Peenie also sent a letter to parents in Brae asking for submissions and received scores of replies. Not all were included in the book but Meghann said the exercise proved to be good market research because the team knew the recipes contributed would be popular with the target audience.

Slestered Peenie had to see off tough competition in the form of two businesses run by Anderson High School pupils – Revive a Glass which etched individual designs from donated bottles and jars, and Green Galaxy, which created an interactive children’s book Trowie & Me, which included blanks for young readers to fill in and personalise.

Each group had to make a presentation before the judges and an invited audience and answered questions about their enterprise at Tuesday’s final.

All three were praised for the “unbelievable standard” but it was Slestered Peenie who walked away with the trophy.

For more from the award ceremony see Friday’s Shetland Times.