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The Queen’s Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking, review: who won the royal seal?
The BBC challenged five home-bakers to create a dessert that was fit for a Queen and that could become a national staple

It’s a two-course meal fit for a Queen. Coronation chicken was created when Elizabeth II ascended to the throne. Now to mark her 70th year as monarch, the dessert trolley finally arrived. The Queen’s Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking (BBC One) was a contest to create her platinum pud. Not one actually made of platinum, though. That would play havoc with one’s teeth.

Thousands of hopefuls had been whittled down to a final five home-bakers. They arrived at Fortnum & Mason to produce their puds under the watchful eye of executive pastry chef Roger Pizey. Only one could have their official recipe published. No pressure, then. Would it be Kathryn’s passionfruit and thyme tart, Jemma’s five-layered citrus trifle, Sam’s Victoria sponge crown, Shabnam’s floral falooda cake or Susan’s four nations pudding? They all looked mouthwatering, if a little fancy to be plonked on a trestle table during a street party. All had a family backstory behind them, mostly involving grandmothers. If there was a moral victor here, it was the nation’s nannas.

As the quintet baked up a storm, viewers were treated to a light, fluffy blend of cookery and pop history. With everything draped in bunting and flags, it was a pleasingly proud, unapologetically patriotic hour.

The dishes were rated by a panel led by Dame Mary Berry but talk about too many cooks. MasterChef’s Monica Galetti and food historian Regula Ysewijn earned their place but did we really need Bake Off alumnus Rahul Mandal, let alone an influencer and a food blogger? Once Pizey joined in, there were seven judges. They could barely fit around the tasting table, especially after scoffing all those puds.

The Duchess of Cornwall announced the winner: Jemma’s trifle, which got my vote, too, due to the inclusion of tinned mandarin segments. This was a surprisingly emotional hour, with salty tears seasoning the sweetness. The BBC might have lost the Bake Off to Channel 4 but this wholesome one-off was some calorific consolation. Good bake.