You wouldn't want to eat it and neither did dear old Vera Howarth at her 98th birthday party for the multi-tiered cake is 111 years old.
Originally the fruit cake was a full seven-tiered jobby and was baked by Vera's mother, Mary Emma Illingworth, to celebrate her wedding to Samuel Smedley in 1895. After the celebrations, the remaining top tier was placed in a glass case and has been kept in the family since, being brought out only for special occasions.
The last time is was eaten was in 1945 to mark the couples golden wedding. Now the white icing has turned brown, the once silver sugar balls are black, and the fabric leaf decorations have wilted. A superb family tradition and one I wish my motley bunch of a family would do something similar. Thing is cake and the Barrow's don't last long in the same room...
I couldn't find a picture of a brown and cracked old bit-o-cake so a pic of Queen Vick will have to suffice. Just imagine QV is waiting for some underfoot man to pour the cream over a pile of chocolate brownies...
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