Everyone loves a trier, says William after making ‘passable’ Cornish pasty

The Prince of Wales made a Cornish pasty as he celebrated St Piran’s Day and showed his support for communities across Cornwall in the wake of the devastating Storm Goretti.

The storm, which struck in January, brought winds of nearly 100mph to the county and caused widespread damage.

Around 50,000 homes were without power and major highways and rural routes were blocked by thousands of fallen trees.

The Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Cornwall while in Cornwall, meeting well-wishers during his visit to St Martin, Helston (Aaron Chown/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Aaron Chown

One man died when a tree came down on to his caravan in the Mawgan area of Helston during the worst storm to hit Cornwall in decades.

Emergency services and local volunteers worked around the clock to clear debris, restore essential services and protect isolated or vulnerable residents.

William, who is the Duke of Cornwall, visited Gear Farm Pasty Company in Helston, which is run by Dave and Ann Webb and their children Jemma and Michael.

The Prince of Wales is shown how pasties are made during his visit to the Gear Farm Pasty Company in St Martin, Helston (Aaron Chown/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Aaron Chown

As the prince spooned potato into the pasties in the bakery, he joked: “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.

William tries his hand at crimping pasties (Aaron Chown/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Aaron Chown

“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.”

Admiring the finished pasty, William joked: “It looks like a slightly ill crab.

The Prince of Wales serving customers during his visit to the Gear Farm Pasty Company in Cornwall (Aaron Chown/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Aaron Chown

“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 visited the family-run farm, which is known for producing traditional Cornish pasties (Aaron Chown/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Aaron Chown

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.

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.

The Prince of Wales plants a tree at an adjacent field during his visit to the Gear Farm Pasty Company (Aaron Chown/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Aaron Chown

During the tour of the bakery, he saw pasty production, met staff, and took part in pasty-making.

To mark the occasion, William also planted a tree in a new woodland area being established on the farm.