Fit for the QUEEN!

DAME MARY BERRY on finding the perfect pud for Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee celebrations

THE JUBILEE PUDDING

NEW THU, 8 PM, BBC1 COOKERY

Dame Mary Berry was delighted to embark on a right royal mission as part of this year's celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

In January, Buckingham Palace teamed up with London department store Fortnum & Mason to launch a nationwide competition to find the perfect pudding in honour of Her Majesty, the first British monarch to mark 70 years on the throne.

Just under 5,000 entries were whittled down to five finalists, who each created their dessert for a panel of expert judges led by Dame Mary. The winner will be announced this week in a special BBC1 programme, The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking. The triumphant recipe will then be made available to the public.

Here, Dame Mary, 87, tells us more about the competition...

This seems like a fun task!

Yes, I thought it was a wonderful idea. Jubilees are very special and bring people and communities together.

It's a lovely thought that perhaps this Jubilee pudding will be made for everyone celebrating, whether at street parties or family occasions.

What was the standard of entries?

I was very impressed and I couldn't believe how many there were. It's also rather wonderful to have such a range of ages [the contest was open to those aged eight and over).

There were some from children as young as 10, who sent in pictures. We singled out some for special recognition - one was a 10-year-old boy called Ollie. He made a layer of pancakes that was original, impressive, and didn't involve using the oven, which is a clever alternative to baking.

The judging panel also included Monica Galetti and The Great British Bake Off 2018 winner Rahul Mandal. How did the process work?