The Prince of Wales had a sweet encounter with a grandmother in Llansteffan, Wales, recently, when she presented him with a gift of her homemade fruitcake. The Royal visitor was so impressed with her baking he was intent on getting his hands on the recipe, but Etta Richardson was having none of it and refused to tell him what went into her delicious confection.
It was during a visit to a school in the Welsh town that Charles received the offering. On the helicopter ride home he sampled the tasty treat, and was so impressed that he decided to request the recipe.
The 55-year-old also allowed several of his aides to take a slice, before wrapping up the remainder and triumphantly declaring: "This is mine". "The Prince thought it was absolutely delicious," confirmed a Clarence House spokesman.
After they landed back in London, the future King's assistants tracked down Etta, who runs a stall in Carmarthen Market, and asked her how to make the fruitcake. But the wily 74-year-old refused to reveal her secret formula, instead offering to sell the Prince another one for £3.50.
Etta's son Richard did give some hints as to the content of the baked masterpiece. "A lot of fruit, a few spices, a bit of this and that, and a couple of secret ingredients," he said. "It's a bit of a tradition here that families keep recipes to themselves, but I can assure you that everything in it is organic."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
