Prince Charles and his wife Camilla got competitive on a visit to a pork pie shop yesterday as they both took the opportunity to make their own pies.
After being shown how to make traditional hand-raised Melton Mowbray pork pies in the Leicestershire town, the Duchess of Cornwall told the Prince of Wales: “Yours is bigger than mine.”
The visit to Dickinson and Morris Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe was one of a series of engagements across Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire by the couple. Dickinson and Morris have been baking pork pies at the shop since 1851, and it is the oldest pork pie bakery and last remaining producer of authentic Melton Mowbray pork pies based in the town centre.
The royals were shown how to make traditional pies, and were told by managing director Stephen Hallam: “We’re always on the look-out for extra staff at Christmas time if you’re interested.” (PA)
Pot luck
A California entrepreneur plans to market medical marijuana soft drinks.
Clay Butler says his soda pot contains the psychoactive marijuana ingredient THC.
Besides his flagship cola drink, Canna Cola, he will also produce Dr Pepper-like Doc Weed, lemon-lime Sour Diesel, grape-flavoured Grape Ape and orange-flavoured Orange Kush. (PA)
Allen recommended
A singer once described by David Cameron as unsuitable for his six-year-old daughter is among suggested listening for churchgoers preparing for Easter.
The radio version of the song The Fear – without expletives – by Lily Allen is recommended as a possible scene-setter before Bible study for church groups on a new Lenten course entitled Exploring God’s Mercy.
The Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Steven Croft, said he believed the song, which starts “I want to be rich and I want lots of money” captured a “certain spirit” of contemporary culture. (PA)
Virtual fishing
Good news for busy, urban anglers: Japanese toymaker Tomy will release an augmented reality fishing rod allowing users to feel a bite and reel in a heavy fish regardless of their location.
Virtual Masters Real – a palm-sized rod with an antenna-like tip equipped with a reeling handle and small screen – will go on sale in Japan in July for 6,279 yen (€55), Tomy said yesterday.
The rod’s camera uses special technology to augment any location shown on the screen with “fishing opportunities”, potentially giving offices, streets and shopping malls the refined air of a relaxing day by the lakeside. (AFP)
‘Austerity Mum’
The website of a blogger calling herself “Austerity Mum” about coping in the financial downturn is offline after she was exposed as being the wife of a top London executive.
The light-hearted internet hit charting the travails of a housewife’s attempts to rein in spending were exposed on Monday as being written by Lisa Unwin, the wife of Ashley Unwin, the head of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ consulting business.
“Austere times call for drastic measures”, she said, meaning “no new clothes for me, no new jewellery, shoes, facials – waxing of course is ring-fenced”. (AFP)
Kate deleted
A Facebook user has had her account deleted in error by the social networking site because she shares her name with Prince William’s fiancée.
Kate Middleton, 29, a help desk administrator from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, has a boyfriend who shares a name with the famous TV presenter Jonathan Ross, but his account has not been blocked.
A Facebook spokesman said its security system removed Miss Middleton’s account in error. (PA)
Schoolboy’s age
A headteacher has apologised after he excluded a 14-year-old boy from school because he believed the 5ft 8in tall teenager was actually 24.
Prince Summerfield, whose family moved to the UK from Malawi, was sent home from The Petersfield School in Petersfield, Hampshire, after head Nigel Poole became uncertain about his age.
Mr Poole apologised and allowed Prince back after the boy’s parents produced evidence including his Malawian birth certificate showing he was born on September 24, 1996. (PA)