Prince William's 'Juicy' Pasty Gaffe During Cornwall Storm Recovery Visit
The Duke of Cornwall, Prince William, marked St Piran's Day with a hands-on demonstration of Cornish pasty making, offering a show of support for communities across Cornwall still recovering from the devastating impact of Storm Goretti. The severe storm, which struck in January, brought winds nearing 100mph to the county, causing widespread damage that left approximately 50,000 homes without power and blocked major highways and rural routes with thousands of fallen trees.
Tragic Consequences and Community Response
Tragically, one man died when a tree fell onto his caravan in the Mawgan area of Helston during what was described as the worst storm to hit Cornwall in decades. Emergency services and local volunteers worked tirelessly to clear debris, restore essential services, and protect isolated or vulnerable residents in the aftermath of the catastrophic weather event.
Royal Hands in the Bakery
William, who holds the title of Duke of Cornwall, visited the family-run Gear Farm Pasty Company in Helston, operated by Dave and Ann Webb and their children Jemma and Michael. As he spooned potato into the pasties in the bakery, he light-heartedly remarked: "Don't worry, I can take full criticism." William was then shown how to crimp a pasty by Miss Webb, who runs the bakery.
As he folded over the pastry, he said: "Oh my goodness, there's a lot more going into this than I thought. I feel I may be taking this one home guys. Everyone loves a trier." The prince went on: "I appreciate the comments but this is not my finest hour. This is where I need my wife, she would be all over this."
Humorous Assessment and Telephone Slip
Admiring the finished pasty, William joked: "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." William later joined counter staff selling pasties direct to customers at the farm.
To much amusement from staff, he also took an order over the phone from Josie Trounson who was buying 10 frozen pasties and five fresh pasties. The prince told her: "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. 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."
Customer Surprise and Storm Impact
Ms Trounson, who lives a 20-minute drive from the farm, did not find out it was William who had taken her order until she arrived to collect her pasties – half an hour after the heir to the throne had left to meet fire and rescue staff at Helston community fire station. "I was flabbergasted when I found out," Ms Trounson said 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."
During the storm, the farm experienced prolonged power and water outages and was cut off by fallen trees on narrow rural roads. Due to a recently installed generator, the Webb family were able to continue baking and supporting local residents who were without essential services for several days.
Community Recognition and Symbolic Gestures
William met members of the Webb family and local people who helped to clear roads, check on neighbours and maintain vital access for those needing daily care. To mark the occasion, William also planted a tree in a new woodland area being established on the farm.
At the fire station, William handed over a box of 50 freshly baked pasties he had brought from Gear Farm to thank the emergency services for their work during Storm Goretti. During the catastrophe the Webb family wanted to share pasties with the local fire station but due to fallen trees blocking the roads they could not make the delivery. Two months later, the prince helped them make good on their promise with his very own royal mail delivery.
Professional Appreciation and Emergency Services
During a tour of the fire station with Cornwall chief fire officer Kathryn Billing, the theme of pasties continued as Ms Billing told the prince she used to make them and had "crimped in excess of 10,000." William replied: "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."
At the station, William met fire service personnel, Cornwall Council highways staff and National Grid workers who had all helped with the Storm Goretti clear-up, recognizing their collective efforts in restoring normalcy to the storm-ravaged region.
