A PRESTON firm hopes its contribution to this year's royal wedding will be the icing on the cake - quite literally.

For Prince Edward and his bride-to-be, Sophie Rhys-Jones could be tucking into a cake baked by Preston firm Cakes of Distinction.

The St George's Centre-based business is one of 17 confectionery shops to be asked to cook up a wedding day delight for the happy couple, who due to tie the knot on June 19.

And, if the cake is anything like the one the firm whipped up for the ill-fate marriage of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew, the latest Royal lovebirds can look forward to lavish six-tier cake - costing a cool £5,000.

Hilda MacCarfrae, who runs the firm, said: "When Fergie was about to get married, we wrote to the palace to see if we could bake a cake for the wedding.

"They said they would be delighted.

"But we were ecstatic when they wrote to us after this latest engagement was announced asking us to bake another cake because they were so impressed with the last one.

"We don't know which cake will actually be used on the day, but the ones which aren't will be passed on to a charity of the couple's choice to be auctioned." The exact recipe is being kept under wraps for a few weeks until a final pattern for the cake is designed.

Then, before the big day, representatives from the firm, who have had a shop in Preston for seven years, will travel down to Buckingham Palace to present their creation to the Royal household.

Hilda, pictured, added: "It is such an honour to be given the chance to make a cake for the second time. We don't do anything special to their cakes, it is the same recipe we use for everyone's wedding cakes."

Other celebrities who have snapped up wedding cakes from Hilda's firm include a different Fergie - Newcastle striker Duncan Ferguson. He also paid £5,000 for his wedding day cake.

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