A Ripon mum has baked a cake judged to be fit for a Queen as part of the Bettys Jubilee Bake Off.

Lori Hendry beat three other shortlisted bakers with a Victoria sponge decorated with red, white and blue icing adorned with a crown and Union Jack flags.

Ann Hedges, food and nutrition teacher at St Aidan’s, Paul Farr, food and drink director at Bettys, and Lisa Benninson, development chef and Bettys Cookery School teacher, judged the final on Wednesday, June 1.

Ms Benninson thanked the shortlist of Lori Hendry, Irene Threadgold, Louise Winter and Edward Lee for baking their cakes and said it was tough to pick out an overall winner.

The moment Lori (centre) found out she had won.

The three judges deliberated for around half an hour and assessed each cake against the criteria Bettys uses to test all of its new products.

Delighted with the win and prize of a course of her choice at Bettys Cookery School, Ms Hendry told the Stray Ferret:

“I am feeling shocked to be honest, really shocked. I didn’t expect to win it at all. I am very chuffed.

“I first got into baking because I started baking for the kids really. When you have three kids you always need a cake on the go!”

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Paul Farr, food and drink director at Bettys, said:

“I’ve been in the industry for nearly 40 years but when you are judging you need to be able to pull on all of your experience and your honest appraisal on products.

“There was a high standard so it comes down to those fine points of difference that makes a cake stand out from being really good to being the winner.”

(Left to right) Louise Winter, Irene Threadgold and Lori Hendry. Edward Lee could not make it but his cake is second in from the left.

Ann Hedges, food and nutrition teacher at St Aidans, said:

“It was a real privilege to be part of the judging process. With so many potential winners, I think everybody brought something slightly different to the competition.

“For me it was fantastic to see people’s skill level. We had the cake making, meringue making, the piping. All of those skills are an art at the end of the day. We were very lucky to be able to judge that art.”

Lisa Benninson, development chef and Bettys Cookery School teacher, said:

“I thought it was really great. As chefs and bakers it is always a treat when somebody else makes a cake. It was a really nice thing to do to judge a cake competition fit for a Queen on the Platinum Jubilee.

“We had lots of different flavour combinations. We had a rose and pistachio, lots of Victoria sponges. There was a close finish but it was about attention to detail in the end – and that’s Bettys motto.”

The shortlisted cakes

Lori Hendry’s winning cake (Left) with Edward Lee’s cake.

Louise Winter’s cake (Left) with Irene Threadgold’s cake.

Businesses in the Harrogate district have seen a huge demand for jubilee merchandise as residents gear up for four days of celebrations.

We spoke to five independents to find out how business is booming ahead of the four-day Bank Holiday weekend, which starts on Thursday.

Party Fever – Harrogate 

Red, white and blue balloons outside Party Fever.

Residents have been rushing to fancy dress and party shop, Party Fever, on Station Parade, to buy jubilee-themed attire and decorations since Easter.

The shop has now almost sold out of all its jubilee stock, with only a few Union Jack flags, bomber jackets, waistcoats and masks still remaining.  

Sue Savill, at Party Fever, said:  

“We have sold thousands of pieces of bunting, which I think is evident when you walk round the town centre, and also plates and napkins for jubilee street parties”.   

Party Fever currently has a Union Jack flag made from red, white and blue balloons outside the shop, where customers can pose for photos.  

HG1 Bakes – Harrogate

HG1 Bakes owner Charlie Lowe.

Charlie Lowe, owner of HG1 Bakes, said she had been busy with orders ahead of the jubilee weekend.

She said:

“I am supplying Pink Door Café, on Kings Road, with jubilee-themed cupcakes and lots of bespoke orders for jubilee-themed cupcakes too.

“It’s great to see our town of Harrogate getting into the spirit of celebrating the Queen’s jubilee.”

Huttons Butchers – Knaresborough  

Huttons Butchers’ special edition jubilee Scotch egg.

Huttons’ pork pies and BBQ packs have proved popular ahead of the bank holiday weekend, with customers stocking up for street parties and jubilee celebrations.

The butchers has also created a special edition Scotch egg for the jubilee, made from its ‘coronation jubilee’ sausage meat.

Alan Bell, from Huttons Butchers, said:

“We are making them as fast as we can.” 

West Park Antiques and Home Interiors – Harrogate

West Park Antiques manager Lisa Hawksworth.

Customers have been going crazy for bunting, royal memorabilia and Union Jack flags at the antiques store on West Park.

More than 100 packs of vintage-style bunting have been sold in the last week.

A Union Jack wedding dress, made by one one of the traders, has been displayed in the shop window and is catching people’s eyes.

Manager Lisa Hawksworth said:

“People are definitely getting into the spirit. We have had more than 250 people take photographs with our cardboard cut-out of the Queen. We have tried our best to have some fun with our display, with lots of red, white and blue.

“The Union Jack wedding dress is for sale for £600 – but we won’t be letting it go until after the weekend!”

The Union Jack wedding dress at West Park Antiques.

Twisted Cakes – Harrogate  

Jubilee cake decorations have been selling out at Twisted Cakes. 

Twisted Cakes, on Kings Road, has already sold out of all its jubilee cake decorations, with red, white and blue ribbons, Union Jack flags and printed toppers for cupcakes being the most popular amongst customers.  

Purple ribbons to match the jubilee theme and cake toppers with the official jubilee logo also sold out quickly.  

Debbie Smith, from Twisted Cakes, said:  

“I have noticed a lot of customers coming in to buy decorations for school events.” 

She added that people have been buying the jubilee products for at least six weeks.  

History will be made in Ripon on Saturday night when the Platinum Jubilee Horn, made to mark the Queen’s remarkable reign, is blown for the first time.

The horn, commissioned by the city council to provide Ripon’s citizens and visitors with a ceremonial means of celebrating Her Majesty’s 70 years of service, will be presented to Cllr Sid Hawke, the Right Worshipful the Mayor of Ripon by John Richmond BEM.

Mr Richmond, an honorary freeman and former Mayor of Ripon, has the distinction of being the only person to carry out the internationally famous setting of the watch ceremony while in mayoral office, when he acted as a ‘stand-in’ hornblower in December 1975.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“It is an incredible honour to be asked to present the new horn in a city which takes great pride in its royal heritage.

“This goes back to Alfred the Great who, in 886, presented Riponians with their first ceremonial horn as a ‘thank you’ for their courage in fighting off a Viking raid.”

John Richmond BEM and Freeman of the City of Ripon who made history in 1975, will present the new Platinum Jubilee Horn.

The presentation will take place on Ripon Market Square at 8.45pm in time for the setting of the watch ceremony at 9pm.

The horn was made by Duncan Grimmond, a locally-based craftsman who has made several horns for the city council over the last four decades.

Mark Sidwell, musical director of Ripon City Band, advised Mr Grimmond on the process of making the horn, which is believed to be from an African buffalo and has silver mountings.

The mountings include the Commemorative jubilee hallmark and  the inscription reads Presented by Ripon City Council to the City of Ripon on the occasion of HM Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee – June 2022.

Cllr Andrew Williams. leader of Ripon City Council who proposed the commissioning of the new horn, pointed out:

“This will be a permanent reminder of our jubilee celebrations this week which promise to be the most comprehensive anywhere in North Yorkshire”

The nightly setting of the watch has continued un-broken for 1,136 years and is believed to be the world’s longest continuously-held ceremonial event.

It has survived the Black Death, other plagues, world wars, civil war and, more recently, the covid pandemic lockdowns, which saw Ripon’s team of four hornblowers keep the tradition alive by sounding their blasts behind closed doors at their homes.

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A chance encounter in a charity shop has led to more than 100 commemorative plaques being put up in Spofforth.

June Geddes, vice chairman of Spofforth with Stockeld Parish Council, was drafted onto the village committee to plan celebrations to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

As well as the events during the bank holiday weekend, she was hoping to put decorations around the village to mark the occasion. She said:

“Our high street is quite difficult: because of the three roads into Spofforth, it’s hard to put bunting up.

“Last November I thought, ‘what about plaques?’ There were none online, and when I went to see a local carpenter, he said it was impossible.”

Ms Geddes thought she would have to abandon the idea and focus on the celebrations instead.

However, while she was working in a charity shop in Wetherby, she got chatting to a customer, Terry Wilcox, and discovered he was a hobbyist carpenter with a workshop in his shed at home near Rotherham. After seeing some of his creations, she asked whether he might be able to create a plaque.

Terry Wilcox’s Queen’s platinum jubilee plaque.

Within a week, he had sent a prototype. Ms Geddes promptly placed an order.

“We started with 70, because I thought that’s fairly optimistic and fits in with the platinum theme and so on.”

Subsidised by the parish council, the plaques were sold for £10 each, to be put on lampposts around the village until after the jubilee, when the owners will be allowed to keep them as a souvenir.

Once they began appearing around the village, demand soared, and Ms Geddes went back to Mr Wilcox to ask for another 20.

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They soon sold out too, so a final order was placed, bringing the total number of plaques made by Mr Wilcox in his workshop to 130. Ms Geddes added:

“I’m absolutely thrilled. It’s completely individual, you won’t see them anywhere else.”

Spofforth has four days of jubilee events planned. To find out more about them, and others taking place across the Harrogate district, visit our Queen’s Platinum Jubilee What’s On Guide.

A French-themed open day will be held to officially launch the new boules courts in Darley this weekend.

Darley Playing Fields Association is inviting the community and visitors from further afield for wine, cheese — and of course, a game of petanque.

Taking place this Saturday, May 21, from 2pm, it will be an opportunity to see the work that has gone into creating Darley’s new community facility at the playing fields.

Association chairman Mark Simpson said:

“It’s aimed at the local community and will be a relaxed affair with the aim of getting the availability of petanque known and getting people to have a go.”

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The courts have been available to play on since Easter, with a few informal teaching sessions taking place.

They were created by the playing fields association with funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, while Darley and Menwith Parish Council supported the work and funded two benches by the courts to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

With less than three weeks to go until the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations begin, preparations are already under way across the Harrogate district.

Bunting has gone up in Harrogate town centre, while knitters in Ripon have put together a fitting royal display.

Knaresborough Business Collective has joined in the fun by putting up commemorative flags outside shops across the town, with even more being added this week.

Knaresborough

The town has plenty of plans for celebrations throughout the jubilee weekend, as do many communities across the district.

Ripon and Harrogate have also dressed up the streets in preparation for the four-day party.

The Stray Ferret has put together a comprehensive guide to what’s happening across the four days. You can find the full details here.

Knaresborough

Bunting on High Skellgate in Ripon.

Bunting going up in Harrogate this week.

If your street, village or town is putting up decorations to mark the occasion, let us know by emailing details and photographs to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

The national competition to find the Queen’s platinum jubilee pudding may have ended, but keen bakers still have a chance to be part of the Harrogate district’s royal celebrations.

Last night, the winner of the national pudding competition was announced as Jemma Melvin, who created a lemon and amaretti trifle.

Her recipe will now sit alongside others, such as Victoria sponge and Coronation chicken, which have been created to mark important royal occasions.

Meanwhile, in the Harrogate district, a new competition has been launched to find “a cake fit for a Queen” – and naturally, Bettys is leading the hunt for the worthy winner.

Bakers are tasked with creating an 18cm flavoured sponge with a filling of their choice, complete with decorations to fill the brief of being “fit for a Queen”.

Once they’ve tried and tested the perfect recipe, entrants must upload a photo of their finished creation along with the recipe itself to the competition page on the Stray Ferret’s website by the deadline of Wednesday, May 25 at 5pm.

A shortlist of five will then be drawn up and the finalists will be invited to Bettys Cookery School for the judging on June 1.

The winner will get a place on a course of their choice at Bettys Cookery School.

The competition will be judged by Ann Hedges, a teacher of food and nutrition and a food product developer who has worked for major UK and international retailers, as well as food manufacturers including Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s.

To find out more about the competition or to enter a cake, click here.

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A new horn for Ripon will blast out for the Queen’s platinum jubilee, as part of the city’s celebrations.

The instrument will be used for the first time in the hornblower ceremony on Market Square at 9pm on Saturday 4 June and will be in regular use thereafter.

The event will be one of the highlights of the extended Bank Holiday weekend extravaganza, which also includes a special tea party at Ripon Cathedral for people with a June birthday, born between 1952 and 2021.

The aim is to create a ‘human timeline’ dating back to 1952, with one person from each of the 70 years of the Queen’s reign invited to attend, with a guest.

Ripon Cathedral will host a ‘timeline’ tea party with guests from each year of the Queen’s reign

City council leader Andrew Williams, told the Stray Ferret:

“In partnership with the cathedral, Ripon Business Improvement District, Ripon Together and the Ripon Community Poppy Project, we will provide an inclusive four-day programme of activities, that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

“There will be something for everybody as we and the entire nation join in the celebrations and after the bunting has gone from the streets, the platinum jubilee horn will provide a constant reminder of the Queen’s remarkable service to this country.”

On June 2, the cathedral, which celebrates its 1,350th anniversary this year, will be the focus of attention, when it hosts the civic service for North Yorkshire and later on that day, on Market Square, Ripon will join in a nation-wide beacon lighting ceremony.

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Free live music will be played from 11am until 11.30pm on Market Square between June 2 and 4 and fairground rides for children of all ages and adults will be in place.

On Sunday June 5, Spa Park will be the venue for music from Ripon City Band and children’s entertainers will also be performing.

The event is being arranged by the Ripon Community Poppy Project and attendees will be invited to take their own picnic.

Tree planting has begun across the Harrogate district to mark the queen’s platinum jubilee next year.

About 100 elm, oak, hornbeam, sycamore and lime trees will be planted in the district as part of a nationwide initiative called The Queen’s Green Canopy, which invites people from across the United Kingdom to ‘plant a tree for the jubilee’.

The trees will be planted on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Jacob Smiths Park in Knaresborough, High Cleugh in Ripon, Pateley Bridge recreation ground and Boroughbridge recreation ground.

One tree from each location will be saved to plant on February 6, the queen’s accession day.

Harrogate Borough Council is organising the project and hopes the initiative will also help it achieve its carbon reduction initiatives. It is encouraging everyone, including individuals, community groups, businesses and landowners to also plant a tree.

Councillor Andy Paraskos, the council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“The Queen’s Green Canopy is a wonderful opportunity for us to not only honour Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee but also help address the climate situation and deliver carbon reduction initiatives throughout the Harrogate district.”

The Queen’s Green Canopy will coincide with the borough council’s plans to plant thousands of trees in Bilton Beck Wood and Willow Wood, Harrogate and Upper Horse Shoe Fields, Knaresborough as part of the White Rose Forest partnership.

To get involved and plant a tree, people can pin it to the Queen’s Green Canopy map. It will then count towards Harrogate’s total.

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