Just a note to bakers – this coming Friday 4th January 2022 is the final day for submissions. Do submit your idea for the Platinum Pudding as soon as you can!!!
I do enjoy baking, but I have to confess, in all my years of baking I have never created my own recipe. I find baking too much like chemistry for an experimental approach. I prefer a tried and tested recipe that I can trust to have perfect results.
However…over the past couple of weeks, I had an idea niggling away after I saw a news broadcast inviting non-professional bakers to submit an entry for a national competition (hosted by Fortnum & Mason) to create a pudding for the Platinum Jubliee celebrations this summer. It will be served to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family…and if practical it will also find its way into shops up and down the country, although I believe they are hoping to find an original recipe that others can bake at home.
It all seems rather exciting and I must admit, it piqued my enthusiasm, so this week I submitted my baking creation. If you think you may have an original idea for a pudding fit for The Queen, please do visit the Fortnum & Mason website:
https://www.fortnumandmason.com/platinum-pudding-entry
The competition has already been running for around nine days, and I believe there are still two weeks before the deadline to submit an entry. Then during February, a panel of judges including Dame Mary Berry, Monica Galetti and Liam Charles, will start to look at the entries and decide which go onto the next round, and then to the final. Then it does become very exciting for the winning Platinum Pudding!
Imagine summer parties with your baking creation. That would be quite something!
LADY LEWIS 
Amazing – how cool would it be if LADY LEWIS was the creator of the Platinum Pudding.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s all about the taking part. We know that you can bake Jacob. The challenge is out there!
LikeLike
Very interesting! I love that you are taking part.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you – you are a baker too. Why don’t you submit an entry?
LikeLike
Ha ha – I am a once in a blue moon baker. I would like to bake bread. That appeals to me.
LikeLike
You gotta win this Nonna Noo!!! It will put our family in the history books!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well….it might put the family name on supermarket shelves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As good as Nonna, as good as!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will confess, I the idea of a baking creation of mine perhaps appearing in the Fortnum & Mason Tea Salon – now that appeals!!! There would be endless showing off Wills.
LikeLike
Good Luck! How exciting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. It will be exciting to see a non-pro baker have their idea chosen. It would be rather boring if it was just professionals, but making it just for home-bakers is such a lovely idea.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Are you going to tell us what you put in for your entry?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I certainly will, but I am going to hold my cards to my chest until after the final date for submissions. I read the FAQs on the F&M website and it guided my ideas.
LikeLike
It’s very cool that you have entered. I love the Queen, although I am not sure about how I feel about the idea of royalty, but the Queen is an amazing lady.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I hear you. When I think of history – the long line of good kings, bad kings, sane kings, mad kings, benevolent or nefarious – it is a very mixed picture. I think that HRM Elizabeth II stands out as a wonderful example.
LikeLike
I don’t think I could come up with anything original.
LikeLike
You are such a great baker – I really hope you are picked!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very kind of you to say Laura.
LikeLike
Once you have the basic ingredients figured out, creating your own recipes can be pretty easy. Like instead of using chocolate chips, you could use dried fruit in some recipes. It’s definitely trial and error but in a fun way. I’ve had a few recipes go very wrong while others came out great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I ought to give that a try. My major impediment is that I do not have a sweet tooth at all. So if it were up to me, I would leave out the sugar and only make savoury bakes!
LikeLike
I get that! I started using quick oats in some recipes for more fibre in my diet and some of the recipes are pretty tasty.
LikeLike
Now I do like oats. I am very happy with a bowl of porridge. Oats do make an appearance in the recipe I have come up with.
LikeLike
Wow! It would be so amazing if your name was on the Platinum Pudding. Wimbledon would be so proud of you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well….that does give me ideas Zoe. Imagine if we tried to convince the Tennis Club to feature the Platinum Pudding along with their champers and strawberries & cream – that would be jolly exciting! Perhaps we could have a special event at Elys. Oh my! It would be rather fun!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I definitely would not put it past you Annette!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, it would be a first Hugh. I have never entered a baking contest, unless you count Mel’s BAKE OFF, so if my entry was picked in for the Platinum Pudding, it would cause quite a sensation.
My idea is not very splendid, but I read through the guidelines, and I do think it met the idea of a relatively simple brief that anybody can make, and it is also delicious I would hope. I also hope it possesses that mark of originality. I tried not to clutter it with too many flavours, but create a pudding that had a connection to royalty. Mel helped me write up my submission and so we gave a little explanation regarding the ingredients we chose and how we thought they were a fitting tribute to the Queen’s legacy.
You just never know with these things. It will make it more exciting for the judges if they have lots of different entries and can see that a lot of enthusiasm and care has gone into baking ideas. I like the idea of contributing to the occasion much more than actually coming up with a winning pudding. I have been mentioning it to friends and encouraging their participation. I am hoping they do their bit too.
How about Zoe and yourself. You made those charming coffee cupcakes. I am sure you two could come up with something delicious!!
LikeLike
I hope it is a recipe with mango.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My version does not have mango Kalpesh. However, I think you could swap the fruit I used for a fruit of your choice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the sound of that. I like desserts with fresh fruit.
LikeLike
How exciting! I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with. I admit I also entered, though I’m not much of a baker!
LikeLike
I took the ingredients of a dessert we served to our guests a lot last summer and tried to make it smarter. I am not very creative or original usually, and I always follow recipes from others, never making up my own.
But last summer I combined a few elements from several recipes to make a sort of sundae. Well, for the Platinum Pudding, I took all the flavours that seemed to work so well together and made them into a granola tart, with a white chocolate and fruit ripple cream filling and fresh fruit and bling bling decorations – the idea being that the fruit and sparkles look a little like the crown jewels. But I thought the granola tart case was a nice representative tribute to the foundation of the Queen’s legacy, enduring qualities, humility, reliability, and hard work. The filling and decorations I wanted to capture some of the endearing grace, sweetness end diplomacy she has displayed.
There we go I should have called it Enduring and Endearing Elizabeth. I think I called it a Jubilee Crown Pudding Pie…or something like that.
Anyway, I am not a very good baker, and although I have great admiration for the Queen, having to bake for a panel of judges would be a terrifying prospect. So I am rather hoping that there are some very superb entries that catch the attention of the Fortnum & Mason chefs and the distinguished panel of judges involves.
It has all been rather fun though and baking is a lovely way to pay respects to a figure who has behaved rather impeccably in public for decades.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It sounds absolutely delicious! What a great idea! Completely agree with you that this is such a nice way to pay tribute to such a remarkable woman.
LikeLike
Have you had any news back from them after submitting your entry?
LikeLike
No, nothing. But when I looked through the F&M page, it appears there will be several stages of “judging” throughout February, first the F&M chefs, then the panel of judges including Mary Berry, Monica Galetti, Liam Charles etc will be given 30-50 entries each to consider, then the panel will have to agree on five recipes to go through to a final. Those five will be notified at the end of February. Then in March, the five finalists will have to bake their creations live. I was very keen on submitting an entry, I would be terrified to have to bake in front of judges. So…I am genuinely hoping there are at least five wonderful baking creations which will far outshine my little idea.
LikeLike