Fresh Out of the Oven: New Guild Activity

     Do you ever find yourself getting lost in your imagination at The Bakery in The Neopian Bazaar - just wondering how banana-y those Banana Faellie Cakes are? Do you linger at Neopian Fresh Foods in Neopia Central intrigued by the idea of a Delicious Borovan Crepe? You are not alone - and there is a solution to your curiosity. I am here to introduce you to a way you can try Neopian foods, share your creations with your Neofriends and have a blast whilst doing so - all within your guild!

     The way to curing your curiosity is through a guild Cooking Club! A Cooking Club is an ongoing guild activity where guild members can voluntarily participate in having a go at recreating Neopets food. The participants can share a photo of their recreated dish and their recipe on one of their pet pages, and then all dishes created and shared within the guild can be complied into a “Cookbook” on a guild-run pet page.

     Each month you can take to your guild polls to vote on a theme or food to recreate. You can alternate between sweet or savoury - or you can keep your monthly cook-offs on theme with events going on in Neopia, such as Discovery of Meridell Day-inspired treats or dishes for Gadgadsbogen (the Mystery Island festival of fruit).

     If you are wondering how you can find a guild with an established Cooking Club, head over to the Guilds section of the Neoboards and embark on your search there. I recommend noting that you are on the lookout for a guild with a Cooking Club already set up. Otherwise, I have a few tips below on the dos and don’ts of how to create your own Cooking Club within your guild:

     1. DO: Give your Cooking Club a Fun Name

     Instead of just naming your guild’s cooking club “Cooking Club”, how about creating a fun name to generate more interest in the activity? Some examples of alternative names for the cooking activity are [Guild Name’s] Cookbook, Fresh Out of the Oven, [Guild Name’s] Kitchen Table, The Great Guild Bake Off, Cook to Connect, Monthly Meals or [Guild Name’s] Cooking Pot. You can ask your guild members’ opinions on a favourite name for the activity through your guild polls.

     2. DO: Create your Guild’s Cookbook on a Food-Themed Neopet’s Page

     Make it easy for your guild members to access the guild’s Cookbook by dressing up the Neopet with the Cookbook on their pet page. You can show off your creativity by customising your Neopet in cooking attire. You could use a kitchen-style background on your Neopet, as well as dressing them up in your favourite apron, chef’s hat and oven mitts. You could also have a food-style trinket to go with their look that could be switched up monthly to match your sweet or savoury theme.

     Another way to dress up your Neopet is by painting them a food colour such as Strawberry, Biscuit or Candy. You can also try your luck at completing a Fountain Faerie quest or the Lab Ray to see if you can zap your Neopet to be Chocolate, Custard or Jelly. Alternatively, if you have a Chia, a Magical Chia Pop could do the trick and transform your Chia into an exclusive food colour like Pea, Orange or Plum!

     To top it all off and complete your look, give your Neopet a matching food coloured Petpet. Perhaps an adorable Chocolate Harris, Picnic Kadoatie or a Valentine Rock (which looks like a box of chocolates) would be the perfect match.

     3. DO: Offer Themed Food Inspiration Ideas

     Under the name of the monthly theme on your guild’s Cookbook page, offer some ideas of Neopets food that guild members could recreate. This will help your guild members understand exactly what the monthly theme is and offer some ideas to those who can't decide what they’d like to make. For example, if your guild’s theme of the month is “Burgers”, share a couple of images of the burgers in Neopia such as a Fancy Star Burger, Honey and Bacon Burger and an Ultimate Burger. Make sure you let participants know that the inspiration ideas are just examples - they can create whichever burger on the website that they’d like, as long as it’s a burger from Neopets!

     4. DON’T: Pick or Vote on a “Best Dish”

     To keep the activity fun, fair and conflict-free, it’s best to refrain from choosing, voting on or announcing which guild member’s dish looks the “best”. Announcing a “best dish” may leave other participants feeling unmotivated to participate in the next month’s cook-off. By simply displaying all participants’ photos and recipes in the guild’s Cookbook, guild members will continue to want to join in each month as the Cookbook will be a happy space in your guild.

     5. DO: Keep Food Photos on Topic

     Make sure that photos taken of the recreated Neopets food have a plain background (e.g. a kitchen splashback in the background). Make sure not to include anything that is not Neopets related in the photos (e.g. people, pets or identifiable places). This keeps the focus on your tasty creation and helps Neopets remain in a safe space.

     6. DON’T: Feel Food must be made from Scratch

     Let your guild members know that their dish can be made completely from scratch or from store-bought foods. As long as the food is on theme and is Neopets related, it will count as an addition to your guild’s Cookbook!

     7. DO: Look to Neopets for your Recipes

     Struggling to find inspiration? Not sure how to piece together a recipe for a glorious Iced Fish Cake? Worry no more as Neopets has the key! On June 13, 2023, Neopets will be releasing their first official cookbook titled “Neopets: The Official Cookbook: 40+ Recipes from the Game!”. The cookbook will be “jelly-packed” with 40 recipes straight from the heart of Neopia. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on the cookbook - be sure to look for your exclusive code on the back of the book for an ALL-NEW avatar!

     Best of luck in finding or creating your dream Cooking Club in your guild. Happy cooking!