Prince William Tries Hand at Pasty Making During Cornwall Storm Recovery Visit
The Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Cornwall while in the county, demonstrated his culinary efforts during a special St Piran's Day visit to a family-run bakery in Helston. William visited Gear Farm Pasty Company, operated by Dave and Ann Webb alongside their children Jemma and Michael, to show solidarity with communities still recovering from January's devastating Storm Goretti.
Storm Goretti's Devastating Impact on Cornwall
The catastrophic storm, which struck Cornwall with nearly 100mph winds, represents the worst weather event to hit the county in decades. Emergency services and local volunteers worked tirelessly around the clock following widespread destruction that left approximately 50,000 homes without power. Major highways and rural routes became impassable due to thousands of fallen trees, with tragically one man losing his life when a tree collapsed onto his caravan in the Mawgan area of Helston.
The Webb family's bakery experienced prolonged power and water outages during the crisis, finding themselves cut off by fallen trees blocking narrow rural roads. Fortunately, a recently installed generator allowed them to continue baking operations, enabling them to support local residents who faced days without essential services.
Royal Pasty Making Attempt Draws Amusing Reactions
As William spooned potato into pasty shells at the bakery, he humorously declared: "Don't worry, I can take full criticism." The prince received crimping instruction from Miss Webb, who manages the bakery operations, before attempting the delicate pastry folding technique himself.
"Oh my goodness, there's a lot more going into this than I thought," William remarked during the process. "I feel I may be taking this one home guys. Everyone loves a trier."
The self-deprecating royal continued: "I appreciate the comments but this is not my finest hour. This is where I need my wife, she would be all over this."
Upon completing his pasty creation, William joked about its appearance: "It looks like a slightly ill crab. It's alright, passable. Yours look so perfect. It's really not easy, is it? This is something machinery can't help with. It all has to be handmade."
Unexpected Royal Customer Service Experience
William later joined counter staff selling pasties directly to customers, even taking a telephone order from Josie Trounson who requested ten frozen pasties and five fresh ones. The prince's customer service skills provided amusement for bakery staff as he confirmed the order details.
"Do you want me to take an order from you? Ten frozen pasties, and we have got plenty of cooked ones, just made some fresh ones now," William told Ms Trounson. "What name is that? Juicy? Josie! Sorry Josie, I thought you said Juicy. The pasties will be juicy – 15 pasties for Josie for 1.45pm. Five fresh good ones and 10 frozen. Bye bye Josie."
Ms Trounson, who lives just twenty minutes from the farm, remained unaware that the heir to the throne had taken her order until she arrived to collect her pasties approximately thirty minutes after William had departed to visit Helston community fire station.
"I was flabbergasted when I found out," Ms Trounson revealed after collecting her order. "I had no idea who was answering my call but the person on the line was a bit incoherent. It's St Piran's Day and I was really worried I wasn't going to get my pasties."
Community Recovery Efforts and Emergency Service Appreciation
During his visit, William met with members of the Webb family and local residents who had helped clear roads, check on vulnerable neighbors, and maintain vital access routes for those requiring daily care during the storm's aftermath. To commemorate the occasion, the prince planted a tree in a new woodland area being established on the farm property.
At Helston community fire station, William personally delivered a box containing fifty freshly baked pasties from Gear Farm to thank emergency services personnel for their heroic work during Storm Goretti. This delivery fulfilled a promise the Webb family had been unable to keep during the storm itself due to blocked roads preventing them from reaching the fire station with their intended gift of pasties.
During his tour of the fire station with Cornwall Chief Fire Officer Kathryn Billing, the pasty theme continued as Ms Billing shared that she had previously made pasties and had "crimped in excess of 10,000." William responded with admiration for the skill involved: "It's a lot harder, it looks like it is really quite easy. The ladies were very fast and laughing away and didn't even look like they were looking."
The prince met with fire service personnel, Cornwall Council highways staff, and National Grid workers who had all contributed to the massive Storm Goretti cleanup operation, recognizing their collective efforts in restoring normalcy to the battered Cornish communities.
