Burley-in-Wharfedale villagers are being urged to help create a world-record pudding.

The village Millennium Committee hopes to produce the heaviest pud ever - and is calling on residents for their help.

The five-tonne pudding - a re-creation of the historic Burley Pudding, last made in 1787 - is to feature as part of the celebrations to mark the new century. Portions will be served on the village green.

The record attempt will be made during the weekend of July 8 and 9 in the year 2000 at the end of the week-long Burley Festival.

Although the recipe for the original pudding has been lost, the Millennium version will include 30 stones of flour, a similar amount of mixed fruit, hundreds of eggs, sugar, water, brandy and salt. In days gone by the Christmas-type pudding - believed to have its origins in the Middle Ages - was created every seven years, cooked for a week, hauled round the village on a cart and cut by farmers with hay spades on a specially-built platform under the Great Elm Tree which stood near the Malt Shovel hotel.

The Guinness Book of Records has stipulated the pudding has to be in the shape of a traditional Christmas pudding, mixed in one place and steamed in one place.

Project manager Tom Sumner, pictured, said: "To achieve our ambition we're going to need an awful lot of help.''

The organisers are looking to recruit more than a dozen specialists to help with everything from raising money to fund the project and obtain the ingredients to controlling its eventual cooking. Ring Mr Sumner on (01943) 862940 if you can offer help.

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