I feared being eaten alive... but visit to tent ended with a taste of victory
APPROACHING Paul and Prue’s newly dubbed PP tent – “It stands for ‘Perfect, perfect’,” Paul jokes – I notice, pathetically, I’m almost trembling.
I have good reason. My lemon and coconut traybake recipe is from a Bake Off showstopper book and while Paul is renowned for his blunt expressions, I have no idea what to expect from Prue.
On top of that, I am making the cake again the next day for a pal’s wedding.
The person before me leaves, holding an empty Tupperware box, previously full of chocolate brownies. They must have gone down well, I note. “He stamped on them,” she deadpans.
As Paul launches into my cake, I’m told I look terrified. After a tense moment of silence, he calls it “claggy”.
“The flavour’s good but the texture’s wrong,” he continues. “You need to lighten it up a little bit.” The blows keep coming. The dome is “sharp” and “a little bit of oil would have helped”. Prue has been quietly cutting her portion smaller and smaller. She samples a mini-mouthful. “I’d put an extra egg in,” she advises. “There’s too much icing.”
Then Paul surprises me, interjecting: “I like the amount of icing!” Praise at last! “I like it though,” adds Prue. More praise! Though I do have to comment on her tiny sample size.
“This IS worth the calories,” she says, trying out her new catchphrase. “But I’ve already had my lunch.” I’ll take that.