BBC One follows a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as five exceptional home bakers, one of which is Shabnam, who is among those who have been plucked from thousands in a national competition to find a brand-new pudding to mark The Queen’s historic Platinum Jubilee.
In The Queen’s Jubilee year, this one-hour celebratory special - The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking follows Fortum & Mason’s competition as it celebrates our Monarch’s 70 years on the throne by finding an original and celebratory cake, tart or pudding fit for The Queen.
Following in the footsteps of the Coronation Chicken and the Victoria Sponge, this winning recipe will go down in history and become part of the British food story. Up and down the country on Jubilee weekend the winning recipe will be recreated at street parties, family events and community gatherings as the centrepiece to the nation’s celebrations as the Platinum Pudding.
Chaired by Food writer and Television Presenter, Dame Mary Berry the judging panel comprises of award-winning home bakers and professional chefs, authors, historians and pâtissiers including Monica Galetti: Chef proprietor of Mere, TV presenter and judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, and Food Writer, author and baker, Jane Dunn; Baker, author and TV presenter, Rahul Mandal; Pastry Chef, Matt Adlard; and culinary historian and author, Regula Ysewijn.
The creations are an exceptional sight to behold, taking inspiration from grandmothers, grandparents, childhoods and the four nations with puddings, tarts and cakes that are thoughtful, utterly delicious and entirely accessible to recreate – truly worthy of the Platinum Pudding title.
For each and every one of the five finalists, it is beyond their wildest dreams that such an esteemed panel of their baking and cooking heroes will taste and comment upon their recipes. Viewers have a front row seat behind the scenes as the judges discuss, deliberate and decide on the winning recipe – but it’s not an easy decision – all of the puddings and cakes have their own merit, original flavour combinations and look divine.
Once the historic decision is made, Dame Mary Berry has one last surprise for the finalists as she introduces a very special guest to announce the winning recipe - HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, patron of The Big Jubilee Lunch, an idea from the Eden Project.
Every year since the Eden Project idea began in 2009, The Big Lunch has encouraged communities to celebrate their connections and get to know each other a little better. Following the success of the first Big Jubilee Lunch to celebrate Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, The Big Lunch will once again bring the Jubilee celebrations into the heart of every community in 2022.
Fortnum’s will support The Big Jubilee Lunch as the nation comes together for the Jubilee weekend celebrations (June 2-5), gifting the winning Platinum Pudding recipe to the nation for all to enjoy for the commemorative weekend and beyond, alongside recipe cards and expert baking tips.
The winning recipe will be available online via the BBC Good Food, Fortnum’s and The Big Jubilee Lunch websites.
The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking, a 1x60’ for BBC One and iPlayer, is made by Sidney Street. It was commissioned by Catherine Catton, Head of Commissioning, Popular Factual and Factual Entertainment, and the Commissioning Editor is Ricky Cooper. Karen Ross is Executive Producer with Lucy Hards as Producer and Phil Ashton and Ray Easmon as directors.
Asian Voice spoke to Shabnam about it.
Commenting on the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebration and what it means to the diaspora celebrating in the UK, Shabnam told Asian Voice, “The continued monarchy is our inheritance. Our ‘accidental’ Monarch who at the age of 21 dedicated her life to the service of the nation is truly someone to celebrate. She is an inclusive World Leader and having embraced such a multicultural Britain I am ever so grateful to her celebrating this diversity is at the heart of the Platinum Jubilee for me. Being a finalist in the national Platinum Pudding competition is proof that you can go from Bombay to Buckingham Palace. The UK is the most fair, equal, and successful welfare state in the world. Queen Victoria was the Empress of India and you cannot deny the love affair that continues between our two countries. I Hope the Falooda Cake brings together our neighbourhoods & communities to celebrate all our cultures and traditions old and new.”
Talking about the importance of baking in British cooking versus Indian cooking, Shabnam said, “When you are an immigrant you want to hold onto what is familiar but also explore what is in front of you. I’ve always been trying to find my place in the world and food can really reveal the journey you make over the years. My food has always been about wanting people to accept me. I grew up in Mumbai with a Punjabi father and a South Indian mother which was plenty of diversity in the Indian community, love and marriage was such a rarity in those days. Growing up, I didn’t care much for Indian sweets, and I see these ingredients in a different and more British way which unknowingly has influenced my cooking over the years. My food is more subtle. I don’t use a lot of salt, oil or spices. I believe in less is more. My popular dishes are chicken tikka lasagna, Kedgeree Scotch Egg, Amritsari Macchi Fish n Chips and of course the Rose Falooda Cake. My food has a personal significance to me and I try to give them a new life, I a girl from India with my feet on British land. My food has always been fluid and moves across boundaries. I always believe that tradition is great, but it can bind you.”
