Budding bakers and culinary connoisseurs are being invited to create a new pudding to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee!
Organised by royal grocers, Fortnum & Mason, the competition seeks to build on the trend of foods marking major royal milestones and is supported by the Big Jubilee Lunch.
Fortnum and Mason are organising the Platinum Jubilee pudding competition
Coronation Chicken (or Poulet Reine Elizabeth) was crafted for The Queen’s 1953 coronation by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume, while Battenberg cake was created to mark the marriage of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Princess Victoria, to Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884.
But Fortnums are keen to get the public involved in order to really make this anniversary special.
Baking royalty, Dame Mary Berry, will be on the judging panel, alongside MasterChef judge, Monica Galetti, and Buckingam Palace’s head chef, Mark Flanagan. They will be joined by food writer and baker, Liam Charles, pastry chef Matt Adlard, Regula Ysewijn, a culinary historian and author, Roger Pizey (Fortnum & Mason Executive Pastry Chef) and Jane Dunn, food writer, author and baker.
The group will choose the final five dishes and the winner.
It is hoped that the winning entry will be enjoyed by those celebrating the jubilee at 200,000 jubilee street parties this summer. Fortnums hopes to sell the final version as part of its range; profits from these sales will be donated to Centrepoint (a youth homelessness charity with Prince William as its patron) and the Big Jubilee Lunch, and the winner’s name will appear on all related packaging.
Of course, the recipe will be gifted to The Queen and the public as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Fortnums have given the following guidance for entries:
- It should taste ‘just right’ – While our judges won’t be able to taste your pudding unless it makes it to the ‘live bake’ of the final round, you do need to ensure the ingredients list is 100% accurate – even a degree of imprecision will affect the flavour. And of course, it should taste, well, delicious.
- Be perfect for home bakers – Your pudding needs to be easy enough for people everywhere to recreate at home! Try to use ingredients and kitchen equipment readily available to people all over the world, rather than fancy gadgets and rare flowers only grown in your back garden.
- Tell a memorable story – A good pudding is made with passion and pride, so we’d love to hear the story behind your entry. Perhaps the recipe was inspired by Her Majesty The Queen’s life, has been handed down through the generations of your family, or recalls one of your own special memories.
- Be fit for The Queen – The proof of the pudding may be in the eating, but this one will be served to The Queen, so it needs to look the part. A few final decorative flourishes always help – and make sure your photograph is nice and clear too for our judges to see your masterpiece in all its glory.
The Queen visiting Fortnum & Mason with The Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Cambridge in 2012
Berry, who has previously baked with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, said: “I’m so thrilled to be panel chair for this exciting competition to make the perfect pudding for The Queen and to work alongside such a wonderful team of judges. I hope everyone who enters has lots of fun. I wish them the very best of luck.”
Veteran royal chef Flanagan has been in the palace kitchen for 20 years, offered his advice: “Keep it simple. Don’t try to include too many different flavours or textures in one dish.”
The five finalists will be invited to Fortnum & Mason’s London store to bake their recipe for the judging panel in mid-March, with the winner being decided that day.
The competition is now open for entries from those aged 8+, and to non-professionals only, until 4th February 2022 and you can find more information about the competition here.
