Two home economics teachers, both with strong links to South Africa, have been named as this year’s winners of the Carol Dunnigan Memorial Award and the Baxters Award.

Antoinette Luckhoff, who was born and brought up in Stellenbosch in South Africa, educated in Buckinghamshire, completed a BSc in Stellenbosch and did an internship in the United States, is the 2009 winner of the Carol Dunnigan Memorial Award, which is given to the most promising probationary home economics teacher.

She moved to Scotland in 2005 and worked at Strathaird Salmon before training as a teacher at Aberdeen University. She is completing her induction at Lochaber High through the alternative route. In their nomination, her colleagues said: “She’s gone beyond the bounds of the curriculum and the usual food and textiles routes to introduce a diverse range of home economics topics and lessons and brought the subject alive.”

The winner of the Baxters Award - given to a home economics teacher who has made a significant contribution to the subject - which was also announced last month at the national home economics conference in Dundee, is Mahri Dinning, principal teacher of home economics at Perth High. Born in Scotland, she was brought up in South Africa where she trained as a home economics teacher before returning to Scotland.

Not only has she pioneered ACfE course work and trialled the new health and well-being outcomes, she has introduced SQA courses in hospitality and creative cake production. Through her encouragement, one pupil became the Tayside winner and Scottish finalist of Futurechef, and another member of staff came third in a UK-wide textiles competition. She also introduced the annual gala dinner, cooked by hospitality pupils, and helped build links with Perth farmers’ market, Gleneagles Hotel and STV.