Who is Platinum Jubilee Pudding Competition winner Jemma Melvin and what is her recipe? (2024)

IN honour of the Queen's Jubilee, an amateur baker has been named the winner of the Platinum Pudding Competition.

Jemma Melvin created the winning pudding - a lemon Swiss roll and amaretti trifle - which will be recreated across the country for the Platinum Jubilee.

Who won the Platinum Pudding Competition?

Jemma Melvin, a 31-year-old copywriter from Southport in Merseyside, was the lucky winner.

The amateur baker was taught by her grandmother and wowed Mary Berry and the rest of the judges with her lemon Swiss roll and amaretti trifle.

The Platinum Pudding Competition was run by prestigious department store Fortnum & Mason in honour of the Platinum Jubilee.

Following her victory, she said: “It was my friend Sammy who actually sent me the link to apply for the competition and I just thought I might as well go for it, get my name in the hat.

“I didn’t think I’d go any further but I made it to the final 50, made it to the final five, and now my pudding has been chosen. It’s ridiculous.”

Speaking about the inspiration behind her winning trifle, Ms Melvin explained: “This particular trifle is a tribute to three women: it’s my Gran, my Nan and the Queen herself.”

She added: “My Grandma taught me to bake, she taught me all the elements, everything from scratch.

“My Nan’s signature dish was always a trifle; we used to call her the queen of trifles. And the Queen had lemon posset at her wedding.”

From over 5,000 applicants, the judges whittled it down to just one outstanding pudding.

The pudding will be recreated for the Platinum Jubilee, as well as being sold in Fortnum & Mason.

When defining a pudding, the competition rules said: "Steamed or baked, layered or rolled, a pie or crumble, a cake or tart, the Platinum Pudding Competition is open to interpretation."

Anyone over the age of eight was allowed to put forward their creations, although those younger than 17 needed a guardian's help.

Lemon Swiss roll and amaretti trifle

Jemma's delicious dish was inspired by a lemon posset served at Her Majesty's wedding in 1947.

Jemma's win was announced by The duch*ess of Cornwall, who was a surprise guest.

Here's how you can make the winning recipe:

Ingredients

For the Swiss rolls:

• 4 large eggs
• 100g/3½ozcaster sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 100g/3½ozself-raising flour, sieved
• butter, for greasing

For the lemon curd:

• 4 largeegg yolks
• 135g/4¾oz granulatedsugar
• 85g/3oz saltedbutter, softened
• 1lemon, zest only
• 80ml/2½fl oz freshlemon juice

For the St Clement’s jelly:

• 150g/5½oz goldencaster sugar
• 6gelatineleaves
• 4 unwaxedlemons
• 3oranges

For the custard:

• 3 largeegg yolks
• 25g/1oz goldencaster sugar
• 425ml/15fl ozdouble cream
• 1 tbspcornflour
• 1 tsplemonextract

For the amaretti biscuits:

• 2egg whites
• 170g/6ozcaster sugar
• 170g/6ozground almonds
• 1 tbspamaretto
• butteror oil, for greasing

For the chunky mandarin coulis:

• 4x 298gmandarin tins
• 45g/1¾ozcaster sugar
• 16g/½ozarrowroot(2 sachets)
• ½lemon, juice only

For the jewelled chocolate bark:

• 50g/1¾oz mixedpeel
• 1 tbspcaster sugar(optional)
• 200g/7ozwhite chocolate, broken into pieces

To assemble:

• 600ml/20fl ozdouble cream

Method

For the Swiss rolls:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line the 2 Swiss roll tins with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg and sugar together with an electric hand whisk for approximately 5 minutes or until light and pale.
3. Use a metal spoon and gently fold in the flour - do this carefully so you don't knock out the air.
4. Divide between the two tins and bake for 10–12 minutes or until the sponges are lightly golden and cooked through.
5. Sprinkle some extra caster sugar on two sheets of baking paper then turn the sponges out onto the sugared paper.
6. Peel off the paper from the underside and, while still warm, gently roll them both up from the short end into a tight spiral using the paper to help.
7. Leave them to cool while you make the lemon curd.

For the lemon curd:

1. Put the egg yolks, granulated sugar, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice in a glass bowl suspended over a saucepan of simmering water - do not let the bowl touch the hot water.
2. Whisk until mixed and continue to whisk while the curd cooks. Do this until it has thickened - this should take about 15 minutes.
3. Pour into a clean bowl and set aside to cool.

For the St Clement's jelly:

1. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes to soften.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, peel 6 strips from a lemon and 6 strips from an orange.
3. Place these into a saucepan with the sugar and 400ml/14fl oz water.
4. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat and occasionally stir until the sugar has dissolved.
5. Remove from the heat and throw away the peel.
6. Squeeze the gelatine until there is no more water and stir this into the pan until it is dissolved.
7. Leave this to cool.
8. Squeeze the lemons and oranges, so you have 150ml/5fl oz of both lemon and orange juice.
9. Stir into the pan then strain the jelly through a fine sieve into a jug.
10. Let this chill until it is cool but not set.

For the custard:

1. Place the cream in a saucepan over a gentle heat and bring it up to simmer, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
2. In a bowl, put the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and lemon extract.
3. Whisk these together until mixed
4. Gradually pour the hot cream into the bowl, whisking continuously while you do so.
5. Immediately return the whole lot back to the saucepan on a gentle heat.
6. Continue whisking until the custard is thick and smooth.
7. Pour the custard into a jug or bowl and cover the surface with greaseproof paper.
8. Once again, leave this to cool.

For the amaretti biscuits:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until firm.
3. Mix the sugar and almonds gently into it.
4. Add the amaretto and fold in gently until you have a smooth paste.
5. Place some baking paper on a baking tray and lightly brush with butter or oil.
6. Using a teaspoon, place small heaps of the mixture approximately 2cm/¾in apart, as they will expand during cooking.
7. Bake for approximately 15–20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

For the chunky mandarin coulis:

1. Strain two of the mandarin cans and throw away the juice.
2. Put the fruit into a saucepan with the sugar and heat gently until broken down.
3. Remove from the heat.
4. In a small bowl, mix the arrowroot with 2 tablespoons cold water - in the baking world the mixing of a thickening agent is known as slake.
5. To your slaked mixture, add to the warm mandarins.
6. Add the lemon juice and mix well.
7. Pour the mixture into a large bowl.
8. Strain the remaining two tins of mandarins and add the fruit to the bowl then leave to cool completely.

For the jewelled chocolate bark:

1. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl which is sitting over a saucepan of gently simmering water.
2. If the mixed peel feels wet or sticky, roll it in the caster sugar to absorb any moisture.
3. Pour the white chocolate onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.
4. Cover the mixed peel with the melted chocolate.
5. Leave to set, then break into shards.

To assemble:

1. Unroll the cooled Swiss rolls and spread the lemon curd over the inside.
2. Roll back up again and slice one into 2.5cm/1in slices and place upright around the bottom edge of the trifle dish so the swirl is visible.
3. Slice the other Swiss roll into thicker pieces and use these to fill the bottom of the dish - make sure this is roughly the same level as the slices that line the edge.
4. Use off-cuts of sponge to fill any gaps.
5. Pour the St Clement’s jelly over the Swiss roll layer and set aside in the fridge to completely set - this will take around 3 hours.
6. Once set, pour over the custard.
7. Drop a single layer of amaretti biscuits into the custard - make sure you save a few for decorating the top.
8. Pour over the mandarin coulis.
9. In a separate bowl, whip the double cream until soft peaks form then spoon this over the coulis.
10. Decorate with the reserved amaretti biscuits - crumble some of them while keeping other whoel.
11. Finally place the chocolate bark shards into the top of the trifle.

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To save time you can use pre-made parts of this recipe such as ready made amaretti biscuits.

You can decorate how you wish, with white chocolate chunks rather than the bark if this is more to your taste.