The Five Finalists

According to the Fortnum & Mason website, today is supposed to be the day that the five Platinum Pudding finalists are notified, and shortly afterwards, an announcement will appear on their website to indicate which five original and delicious baking creations will be considered for the possibility of becoming the official Royal Jubilee Platinum Pudding.

I received an email last week to say that my entry (above) was not going through to the final – phew!!! I really did not think through the prospect of having to bake in front of judges – but thanking me for my entry, which they claimed sounded delicious.

I made a sort of pudding pie tart. It had a granola tart case – with caramel and ginger in it. On top of that was a blackberry ripple cream, with finely grated crystallised ginger and melted white chocolate folded in. I placed fresh blackberries on top and drizzled with white chocolate. In my second version, I replaced the drizzled white chocolate with bling bling cake decorations which I thought made the whole thing look rather like a sparkly crown. I was not sure whether one large pudding pie was better or the individual portions. But when it was decorated with sparkles, the larger one looked more of a showstopper. I will share my full recipe at a later date.

Accompanying my baking creation, I added to my submission that I chose the granola base to symbolize the enduring, steadfast, reliable qualities that have contributed to the legacy HRM Elizabeth II has established. Whereas the lighter, sweeter blackberry ripple cream were representative of her grace, diplomacy and gentle ways. But the flecks of ginger throughout the tart case and filling related to the glimmers of character that often delight us. In my second version, I glazed the blackberries with an apricot jam and the sparkly decorations looked fabulous.

I have to admit that I was very relieved when I heard that my bake was not going through. I would not have had the nerve to bake in front of an audience. But I am excited to find out which are the five finalists. There are already some terrific bakes featured on the Fortnum & Mason website to pique our enthusiasm. Please do go along and take a look:

https://www.fortnumandmason.com/platinum-jubilee

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