A bakery owner was stunned to discover a giant nine-inch lemon that she claims is 'the biggest she's ever seen' - and it even dwarves her baby's head. Tammy Warren did a double-take when she wandered past the fruit and veg stall at Lackham Farm in Chippenham, Wiltshire, and spotted the 4lb (1.8kg) yellow whopper on Saturday [March 19].
The mum-of-three bought the fruit for £5, which she says is 17 times the size of a regular lemon, to rustle up a couple of extra-special cakes. But during a two-and-a-half hour baking spree on Wednesday [March 23rd] the 38-year-old went above and beyond whipping up a vast array of treats.
Using the colossal citrus, Tammy made a lemon and blueberry cake, lemon cupcakes, lemon cake pops and a lemon drizzle loaf. The creative mum then turned her hand to lemon syrup, lemon marmalade, fresh lemonade, lemon curd, candied lemon peel and frozen lemon segments for 'lots of gin and tonics'.
In the spirit of waste-not want-not, Tammy has set aside leftover flesh and zest to make a lemon chicken dinner and has kept the pips for planting. Tammy, from Colerne, Wiltshire, said: "It's the biggest lemon I've ever seen in my life, I thought it would make a great cake.
"It's bigger than [my baby] Sebastian's head. In this case when life gives you lemons I made cakes, candied lemon peel, lemonade and will enjoy lots of gin and tonics.
"It's been fun making all these different things with the lemon, I've loved it. We're going to keep the seeds and grow our own."
Tammy visited the farm with MOD worker husband Stuart Warren, 36, and children Hannah Noble, 15, Evelyn Warren, three, and one-year-old Sebastian Warren. After cooing over the animals at the lambing weekend event, the family wandered to a nearby stall selling fruit and veg - and that's where Tammy spotted the monster fruit.
It was grown in the grounds of Wiltshire College & University Centre’s Lackham campus and comes from the same tree that produced a world record-sized lemon back in 1989. The record-holding fruit weighed an eye-watering 10lb 9oz (4.8kg) with a girth of 31.5 inches (80cm).
It held the Guinness World Record title for 14 years until it lost out to an 11lb 10oz lemon grown in Israel. Tammy, who runs Tammy Warren - Bespoke Celebration Cakes, said: "They were selling plants and herbs to grow [at home] - my husband bought a couple of chilli plants.
"They're well known for growing lemons too. They held the Guinness World Record for growing giant lemons for 14 years since 1989. They lost it to Israel." A Wiltshire College & University Centre spokesman said: "The College is pleased its super-sized lemons are still as popular and sought after as ever.
"The fruits come from the same tree that produced our former world record-sized lemon that was grown back in the 1980s. We have supplied many local people and retailers with our special fruit for a number of years and hope those sold at our Lackham Lambing events last weekend help to produce some delicious bakes and cakes."
