SOUTHPORT & FORMBY
18 May 2022
Vol 29 l Issue 20
INSIDE THIS WEEK:
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On the spot fines for beach yobs proposal
Ben’s ‘fountains of hope’ turned on at Botanic
FIT FOR A QUEEN! For you, ma’am... Jemma’s trifle is crowned UK’s official pudding for Platinum Jubilee celebrations by Tom Martin A HOME baker’s humble trifle has been crowned the official pudding for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee! Jemma Melvin, from Southport, beat competition from 5,000 other applicants to reach the final five of the national baking competition, called The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Year’s in the Baking, which aired on BBC One on Thursday, May 12. Jemma’s stunning Lemon Swiss Roll and Amaretti Trifle was named the winner by head judge Dame Mary Berry. The trifle is made with layers of lemon curd swiss roll, custard, jelly, a mandarin coulis and amaretti biscuits. It will now join the ranks of royalinspired dishes, such as coronation chicken and Victoria sponge. Jemma, a copywriter, said after her thrilling win: “I can’t believe it! Everything I was up against was just the most beautiful desserts and puddings with beautiful stories. “That this humble trifle has won, is a bit surreal! “There’s a lot of elements to the pudding but they’re quite simple and that was really important to me - that anyone can make it. I wanted it to be the people’s pudding, not just for the Queen
but for the whole country. It still hasn’t sunk in! The fact that this will go down in history is something I’m going to have to process.” Dame Mary Berry said: “It’s absolutely wonderful, I think Britain is going to be so delighted and The Queen too.” Jemma, who lives in the resort with her long-term partner, James, and their rescue-dog Bella, has been a baker since the age of six. She said: “My inspiration is both my gran and my nan. My gran is with us but sadly my nan is not, they are both extremely important to me. My gran taught me how to bake but my nan’s signature dish was a trifle. Continued inside
Cllrs D’Albuquerque and Jones
Two Tories quit to form new group on Sefton Council THE Conservative Group has lost two more seats on Sefton Council following a double resignation. Cambridge Cllr Sinclair D’Albuquerque and Ainsdale Cllr Terry Jones quit the party last week to form what they are calling the ‘Southport Councillor Group’. Following the shock loss in the local election earlier this month by Conservative deputy group leader Denise Dutton in Formby, it means the Tory group have gone from having eight councillors on the local authority to now only having five - three less than the Lib-Dems. Cllrs D’Albuquerque and Jones released a statement on May 16 to explain their decision to leave the Sefton Conservative Group was due to a “lack of clarity, direction and a weakness in the leadership.” ‘Impossible’ They said: “In our opinion, the recent leadership of both the local Conservative Association and the Conservative Councillor Group, being one and the same, has caused issues in recent years. “Change was necessary but impossible. Despite us raising our concerns to the previous leader (now deputy group leader), he was unwilling to consider the necessary changes. The situation caused a division within the group. Continued on page 5
Jemma with her Lemon Swiss Roll and Amaretti Trifle
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