William and Kate go head to head in Welsh cake-making challenge

The Prince and Princess of Wales went head to head in a Welsh cake-making challenge as they geared up for St David’s Day celebrations.

William and Kate took off their coats, put on aprons and picked up large rolling pins as they tackled the task, to keep up with orders at a market trader in Pontypridd, South Wales – and the future king thanked Mary Berry for his baking success.

Staff at The Welsh Cake Shop will be working through the night this week to fulfil orders, and they drafted in the royal couple to help out when they visited the town to learn how the community is coping after recent devastating flooding.

The prince and princess rolled out the dough, made ahead of time, as William asked shop owner Theresa Conner, who had shown the couple the process: “Is it thick enough?”

William and Kate’s skills were honed when they appeared with TV baking queen Mary Berry on A Berry Royal Christmas show, and William praised her influence.

With flour stuck to the sleeve of his maroon sweater, William smiled and said: “Well I don’t know, my stunning baker skills, Mary Berry taught me everything I need to know.”

The couple cooked their cakes on a hot plate, keeping a watchful eye on them and turning them after five minutes, and Madison Conner, daughter of the shop owner, gave them the seal of approval.

She said: “They’re perfect, they’re great – they’re bangin.”

Ms Conner praised the couple’s efforts with the rolling pin, saying: “They were very good at baking.

“I asked them if they had made Welsh cakes and they said they had never actually made them before.

“They were surprisingly good, they both were, you could tell they were good bakers.

“For us ahead of St David’s Day, it’s a real privilege to meet them and have them visit us.”

Some of their cakes were served up when the prince and princess sat down in the neighbouring Fountain Cafe and chatted over a mug of tea with market traders and other businesses about Storm Bert, which struck in late November bringing widespread flooding to Pontypridd when the River Taff burst its banks.

The town, which was badly hit by Storm Dennis in 2020, was also in the path of Storm Darragh, which brought extremely high winds to the region a few weeks after Bert.

One trader told their royal guests the regularity of the storms made them “feel like sitting ducks”.

Before leaving the couple went on a walkabout meeting dozens of well-wishers who had braved heavy showers to catch a glimpse of the royals.

Leanne Walsh, 41, said after meeting the princess: “Kate said it had been raining hard this week and she mentioned the floods, saying she hoped it doesn’t happen again.”

There were a few protesters among the crowds, with one carrying a banner which read “We don’t need handshakes, we need flood justice.”

The couple also visited Meadow Street Community Garden and Woodland in Pontypridd. The garden, which was established in 2021, sits next to the River Taff and suffered from flooding during Storm Bert in November.

The future King and Queen heard how the community had come together to help repair the damage caused by the storm.

Helen Williams, the community development manager for the garden, told the couple they were able to clear things up “pretty quickly” thanks to the support of the community.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Ms Williams said: “It was amazing, they’re very relaxed as people.

“They wanted to know about the project and were really interested in the work we’re doing and how quickly it took to recover from the flooding.

“They said they would love to come back and see the sculpture trail when it’s finished.

“We hope from their visit more people come and see the site, not just for volunteering but to spend time in nature.”

As they walked around, the prince praised a leek and potato soup being cooked on an open fire, saying it “smells delicious”.