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White Rabbit Chocolate is celebrating after its Blackcurrant with Juniper Dark Truffle won one of the highest accolades in the world of fine food.

Sally Hawkes, chief chocolatier and creator of the award-winning truffle said: "I am ecstatic – this was the first time I entered my truffles.

"I did it because a lot of customers have told me that they are the best they have ever tasted, so it's amazing to have the acknowledgement after being blind-tasted by a wide range of food experts.

"I am over the moon, and very excited about travelling down to London for the awards.

"It's a great feeling that we can produce as good quality up here in Yorkshire as they pay fancy prices for down South."

More than 10,000 products were judged by over 400 food critics, chefs, cooks and farmers to select the best 50 in the UK.

White Rabbit Chocolate's truffle will now go through to a final round of the competition in London to compete for a coveted Golden Fork Award.

The chocolate makers are also in line to win the title of Great Taste Supreme Champion 2014.

Southampton football writer Adam Leitch is adamant Ramirez has the ability to be a hit but Steve Bruce will have to find a way of getting the best out of his loan signing week after week.

"There is no doubt Ramirez has unbelievable skills," Leitch told the Mail.

"It's up to Hull City to find a way of utilising it on the pitch every week.

"Steve Bruce will be figuring out what Ramirez's best position is in his team.

"He could play in the number 10 role playing deeper off the striker. He's never really had a consistent run in the team because of injuries and loss of form.

"There was a lot of expectation surrounding him when he first signed because £12m is a lot of money for a club like Southampton.

"But it's fair to say Ramirez hasn't delivered in the time he has been here.

"After a couple of seasons, maybe this move is the best for his career because he may not have featured much under Ronald Koeman who has brought in his own players."

Leitch accepts the next eight months will dictate where Ramirez's future lies.

If he does well, Saints could have him back or City could try and sign him permanently.

If he doesn't impress, he may have to look for a new club in Europe with Italy probably the most likely destination.

Leitch feels sorry for Southampton supporters who haven't seen the best of Ramirez during his time there and wouldn't be surprised if Ramirez was a City success.

"His future depends on how he does at Hull City," Leitch said.

"There will be no shortage of clubs in Italy looking to sign him if it doesn't work out at City. If Ramirez is a sensation at Hull, then Southampton could be forgiven for thinking he has settled into life in England and welcome him back next season.

"Southampton fans haven't seen the best of him which has frustrated them because they know he is a very talented footballer.

"They have seen flashes from him but just not often enough.

"He arrived at Southampton as a young man aged 21, now is the time for him to produce the goods and kickstart his career, but only if Steve Bruce can get more out of him than Nigel Adkins, Mauricio Pochettino and Koeman."

Several services to London have been cancelled, operator First Hull Trains has said.

Some services are still running, although they are between two and three hours late and are terminating further down the line than normal.

A First Hull Trains statement said: "The problem is is due to a person hit by a train."

British Transport Police said the accident didn't happen in East Yorkshire but further south.

It is the second time trouble has hit the line in less than a week.

A "brick" thrown at the windscreen of a Hull train caused "heavy damage" as it travelled at full speed from London Kings Cross back to the city on Saturday.

We will bring you updates as they come in.

• Transport news from the Hull Daily Mail

THE role of a senior East Riding Council officer who was in charge of safeguarding at Rotherham at the height of unchecked child abuse could be examined in a new police investigation into the scandal.

Pam Allen worked for Rotherham Council in childcare services for 13 years before joining East Riding Council in 2009.

She was Rotherham's director of safeguarding between 2004 and 2009, the period under intense scrutiny following the publication of a damning report into failings by the council and police to stop the sexual exploitation of at least 1,400 children by gangs of men.

The Mail understands two managers, Annie Redmond and Grace Davidson, who work under Ms Allen at the council, also worked at Rotherham.

Ms Redmond is service manager for children's social care, while Ms Davidson is service manager for west, east and the emergency duty team.

Now, South Yorkshire Police have announced an independent investigation into the handling of the Rotherham abuse.

Due to be led by another force, it will examine the role of both the police and the council in Rotherham over the past decade.

South Yorkshire Chief Constable David Crompton said: "A fully independent and impartial investigation is required to ensure people have confidence that organisations or individuals will be investigated fairly, rigorously and with complete impartiality.

"The investigation will properly and independently examine the role of both the police and council during the period identified and address any wrongdoings or failings, which will allow the appropriate action to be taken.

"We must give victims the confidence to come forward in the knowledge that all agencies will listen, act, provide appropriate support, and relentlessly pursue those who offend against our young people."

The report by Professor Alexis Jay was critical of the failure to respond to warnings that children – many of them teenage girls in local authority care – were being preyed upon by gangs of older men.

It said Rotherham Council managers were told in 2004 and 2005 about the scale of the abuse "in the most explicit terms".

Ms Allen moved to a new job at East Riding Council shortly after a highly critical Ofsted report into child safeguarding in Rotherham.

Dawn Primarolo, then-children's minister, subsequently served an improvement notice on the authority's safeguarding services.

In her report, Prof Jay said: "By late 2009, when the Minister of State served an improvement notice, there is no doubt the systems and operations for protecting Rotherham's children were unsafe."

She also relates what Ms Allen's full-time successor, Gani Martins, described to her on taking up the post in 2010.

Prof Jay wrote: "There were significant vacancies, a lot of agency staff were being used, there was a lack of management oversight, poor accountability for casework, poor monitoring of unallocated work and the quality of professional supervision was poor.

"Staff were overwhelmed and disempowered and felt senior staff were invisible."

Rotherham chief executive Martin Kimber said: "Officers in senior positions responsible for children's safeguarding services throughout the critical periods when services fell some way short of today's standards do not work for the council today."

Ms Allen is currently head of children and young people's support services and safeguarding at East Riding Council.

Last week, Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart questioned whether Ms Allen should remain in her present role.

In his reply, East Riding Council's chief executive, Nigel Pearson, said: "We are considering the implications of the report for the East Riding, which will also be referred to the multi-agency East Riding Safeguarding Children's Board for further consideration.

"We are already liaising with Rotherham Council and are making our own enquiries in order to establish the facts."

AN URGENT review of safeguarding in the East Riding, focusing on child sexual exploitation, looks set to be carried out by a council scrutiny committee.

It follows Professor Alexis Jay's inquiry into the scandal-hit Rotherham Council, where three East Riding Council officers previously worked.

The East Riding's review would examine the robustness of multi-agency arrangements but would not look at any individual officers.

It is likely the review would be conducted in private, with the findings published after it has concluded.

Councillor Kerri Harold, chairman of the council's children and young people overview and scrutiny sub- committee, said: "What we would be looking at is the over-arching mechanism, making sure we have the right mechanisms and robust systems in the East Riding to protect our children."

Kevin Hall, the council's director of children, families and schools, said: "It is important we have a transparent process that provides reassurance about the safeguarding arrangements in the East Riding.

"There's no room for complacency.

"No council in the country can be complacent about this issue.

"There will now be more focus on child sexual exploitation around the country."

The council's overview management committee will now decide whether the children's committee can carry out the review.

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THE Ferens Art Gallery has about 500 works on display at any one time.

So where to start if you happen to be a would-be first-time visitor or just someone keen to renew their acquaintance with one of the city's most-loved venues?

Step forward, gallery curator Kirsten Simister.

She's been based there for 11 years and knows the place inside out.

On paper, my challenge to her appeared a simple one – choose ten of your personal favourite pieces and tell me a little about each one.

But it wasn't quite that straightforward.

"I could have gone for some of the best-known and popular ones but then I thought that might be too obvious," she said.

"I also thought about including the Lorenzetti (the early Renaissance Italian masterpiece acquired by the gallery recently for £1.6m) but it's not actually here yet!"

Instead, she settled on a list that actually allowed her time to catch up with some of her own personal favourites.

"Although I'm based here, I probably spend too much time at my desk looking at my computer rather than all these wonderful things around me," she said.

"In the end, I chose pieces which I feel a real connection with."

1 The Resurrection Of Christ by unknown English sculptor (1450)

"I really like the classic imagery of Christ rising from the tomb and the way he is standing, on one of the soldiers meant to be guarding him.

"It is made in alabaster and would have originally been highly coloured. You can still see some of the colours in the grass and flowers on the ground."

2 Portrait Of A Philosopher by Jusepe de Ribera (early 1630s)

"Ribera is known for his imaginary portraits. His paintings would reflect his subject so in this case we have a philosopher with his hand resting on his books.

"The mood is very sombre, cast in shadows."

3 Stoneferry, Hull, with A Sloop Rigged Keel by John Ward (1835)

"Ward is probably Hull's best-known maritime artist and this tiny work is in the tradition of 17th century Dutch cabinet pictures, which were literally placed in cabinets.

"Its size is quite startling yet Ward still manages to convey a sense of space with his landscape. It has a great atmosphere to it."

4 The Blue Pool, Dorset, by Derwent Lees (1910)

"Because I'm a Scot and did a lot of hill-walking in my youth, I really have a love of landscapes.

"I like this one because the artist is not trying to be faithful to nature."

5 A Ligurian Valley by Henry La Thangue (1910)

"This might be one of those paintings you pass by without really appreciating it fully.

"Look at it long enough and you can almost smell the smoke.

"I really enjoy the way he uses the light to create an atmosphere and the way the paint has been applied."

6 County Kilkenny, A Still Morning by Sir John Lavery (1817)

"This has a lovely calm feel about it and shows a great deal of skill in the way it has been painted."

7 Icon II by Barbara Hepworth (1960)

"It's made from marble and people can't resist touching it, although we don't actually encourage it. Even so, it practically invites you.

"You can see the inspiration she took from nature and, in particular, the pebbles and shells from the coastline at St Ives, where she lived.

"It's a really beautiful work."

8 The Seated Woman by Gwen John (1910-1920)

"It's a small, quiet work but still extremely beautiful.

"She uses a chalky textured painting technique, which I like. It's also subtle yet quite decorative."

9 Woman With A Fan by Henry Laurens (1921)

"This is the most Cubist work in our collection and quite a striking work.

"Laurens was part of the Cubist movement and the piece reflects the ferment and change going on in the art world at the time."

10 Clarence Gardens by Harold Gilman (1912)

"It's a very simple subject – trees in a park with some houses behind – but it really is an attractive work.

"I have always appreciated the physicality of paint in the way it has been applied and its use here is almost sensual."

Discount supermarket chain Aldi has launched an appeal against a decision to refuse planning permission to light up a sign outside its store in Beverley.

The company had applied to East Riding Council to illuminate the 5.5m-high advertising sign next to the store in Swinemoor Lane. However, councillors turned down the application, claiming the orange and blue sign would be too intrusive.

In its official decision, the council said: "It is considered that, as the existing sign is already taller than other signage structures along the road frontage, the proposed internal illumination will have an adverse impact on the amenity of the area by being unduly dominant. It would detract from the outlook enjoyed by the residents of houses on the opposite side of the road and passers-by."

The appeal will be decided by a planning inspector.

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A MOTHER claims a hospital nurse gave her daughter medication to swallow despite the teenager being "nil by mouth" for more than ten years.

Theresa Rout says her daughter Lizzie, who suffers from cerebral palsy, could have been seriously harmed after the nurse failed to realise she had to be fed through a tube.

Investigations are already under way after three other patients were given the wrong medication by hospital staff and a foreign object was left inside a patient during an operation in June.

Now, Mrs Rout, a mother of three from east Hull, is calling for an investigation into the care her daughter has received at Hull Royal Infirmary.

Mrs Rout, 42, said: "It says on her medical card that she is nil by mouth and I just want to know why they didn't take a minute to read her notes.

"It could really have harmed her. You don't expect your bairn to be given oral medication in a hospital when she's been nil by mouth all this time. They let her down and that's what is hurting me so much."

Lizzie, who will be 18 in December, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby after she was born four weeks prematurely and suffered a fit when she was two weeks old.

She was fitted with a gastro- stomy tube feeding directly into her stomach when she was five, before it was replaced by a jejunostomy tube into her small intestine about four years ago. She has not been able to eat food or take medication orally since she was aged about seven.

Lizzie, who requires around- the-clock care, has been in and out of hospital all her life, but was admitted to Hull Royal two weeks ago after her health took a turn for the worse.

However, last weekend, her mother was told a nurse had given her daughter vitamins orally, despite a warning from Lizzie's carer that the teenager was nil by mouth.

Mrs Rout said: "Lizzie can't have anything orally as she aspirates it into her lungs.

"The carer, who knows Lizzie, told me she'd pointed out to the nurse that Lizzie couldn't be given anything in her mouth but she didn't listen and still went ahead and did it. The carer documented everything.

"After Lizzie was given the vitamins, she had to be given suction."

Mrs Rout, of Westerdale Grove, east Hull, raised the problem with the ward sister.

"When I asked her what had happened, she said she didn't know about it and then asked me if it had been witnessed," she said. "I told her the carer was sitting right there when it happened and she told me she'd have to speak to the nurse and would be investigating.

"Luckily, Lizzie has a carer with her 24/7 and she documents everything or I wouldn't have known about it."

Amanda Pye, chief nurse at the trust, said: "Staff on Ward 50 have spoken with her daughter's carers and with Mrs Rout herself on a number of occasions and, where concerns have been raised, they have tried to address these promptly and courteously.

"In respect of her daughter's medication, we can confirm an alleged incident has been reported and the outcome of the investigation will be shared with Mrs Rout in due course."

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Chris Chester has been appointed our full time coach on a three-year contract, we embarrassed ourselves in the derby against Hull FC and we've had our presentation night at the Willerby Manor Hotel.

It was no great secret about Chris, who has been groomed by the club for the head coach's role for the last few years.

After his retirement, he left us and did some coaching at Castleford before Justin Morgan brought him back as the head of youth and assistant first-team coach.

He's learnt his trade in the last five years and I'm pleased that he's now got the top job.

I've always got on really well with Chezzy ever since he was playing for Hull FC against us in a pre-season friendly in 2005 and started giving me verbals on the pitch, calling me a Leeds reject!

Of course I replied that he was a Wigan reject and our respect grew from there.

Judging by his recruitment policy and listening to his ideas for next season, it's clear that there's some big changes happening at the KC Lightstream Stadium, and I would ask our great fans to stick with us and give the club, Chris and the team your backing.My worst derby defeat ENOUGH has been said and written about our defeat to Hull FC last Friday, there's not much I can add.

Except to say that it will go down as the worst derby defeat I've ever played in.

It's often been said that we are usually the hungrier of the two teams when it comes to these games, but I think for the first time last week it was the other way around. The Hull team deserve credit for the way they came out firing and we couldn't handle it.

We played dumb at times but again, Hull never let us get going at all.

It was a sad way for some of our departing players to leave, but of course we still finish the season 2-1 up in the series.Josh fully deserved player of year crown I'M sure everyone who went to our presentation night on Tuesday enjoyed themselves.

Josh Hodgson deservedly won the two main player of the year awards as he has once again been our best player this season.

He'll be a huge loss for us when he leaves for Canberra Raiders.

It was good to see other players recognised as well. Kris Welham, Rhys Lovegrove and Ben Cockayne all received awards for reaching 150 appearances for the club and it was nice for them to be given awards.

I'VE got a couple of testimonial events coming up soon as well, including a comedy hypnotist night at KC Lightstream Stadium on Friday, September 26, which promises to be hilarious.

Myself and Jordan Cox will be getting hypnotised and doing some funny stuff no doubt.

If you're interested, tickets are available by contacting Ashley Robinson on 07830 414464,.

Tickets are priced at £20 each and include food.

FOR 40 years her she was as much part of East Park's landscape as the trees and the ponds it is home to.

Loved by many – and even feared by some – every day Phyllis Walker could be found surrounded by the birds, feeding them from bags of bread she bought with the little money she had.

But, following her death at the age of 85 on Tuesday, the park is destined to be a very different place without her.

Known affectionately by visitors to city's the beauty spot as the "Bird Lady", few knew much about Phyllis' life – and the sadness that was woven through it.

One who did was close friend and East Park warden Stuart Macdonald.

He said: "She had a hard life but she was a tough old thing and was happiest when she was feeding the birds.

"That was her life, every day she would be down at the park, even on Christmas Day, whether it was chucking it down with rain, she would come with her wellies on and her head scarf and feed them.

"She would come down the entrance on her bike and the geese would come flocking in the air towards her and down by her feet.

"I haven't seen the birds do it since."

One of eight children, Phyllis was born and grew up in Weel, near Beverley.

The family lived in a near-condemned cottage in Carr Lane, before moving to another property in Weel when the cottages were demolished.

Phyllis, then aged 35, worked in a Beverley launderette and started courting a soldier.

She fell pregnant to the man, whose identity is not known, and moved to Hull, where she brought up her daughter Lesley Walker, now 50, alone.

A single mother and unable to work, money in the household was tight but Phyllis, described by her nephew David Smith as "self-sufficient" and "strong", did not ask for help.

David, 58, who now lives in London, said: "She had the baby and left home. In those days, being unmarried and having a baby wasn't the done thing, so she moved, first to Anlaby Road and then to Beverley Road.

"After that, she started living in the pre-fabs in east Hull and ended up living in one in Highland Road, just off Holderness Road.

"She brought her daughter up on her own.

"She was a self-sufficient person. She was fearless and spoke her mind to anyone she met, especially if anyone was doing anything that might harm her birds. She would give them a good telling off.

"Her main interest in life was animals, hence why she became the feeder of the birds in East Park.

"They were her friends, that was her life."

Phyllis missed her country life and found great comfort in visiting the park and its birds.

It was there, she met Stuart, known as Mac, who became a firm friend until the end of her days.

He showed the strength of their friendship when, in 2007, she was knocked off her bike and over a barrier by a bus in Holderness Road.

She was hospitalised for days and never fully recovered from the shock.

Her eyesight declined, as did her mental health, and, before long, she had left her house and was living in Nicholson Care Home in Marfleet Lane, east Hull.

But Stuart stayed by her side and in constant touch with David about his aunt's health.

Throughout the ordeal, Stuart admired her strength – something that was always apparent to anyone who met Phyllis, especially irresponsible dog walkers.

"She would give them what for if anyone let their dogs off the lead near her birds," said Stuart. "Everyone knew her, they put up with her language too if there were any dogs chasing her geese and if any of the birds got grumpy she would hit them with her handbag.

"She didn't hold back for anyone.

"She was a remarkable woman, a real character and she will be very sadly missed."

Kim Thurston, the deputy manager at Nicholson House, said: "Although Phyllis was in the advanced stages of dementia, she maintained her cheeky character.

"She was fun-loving and loved banter.

"She never lost her love for animals, visiting the park when we could. We will miss her greatly."

The funeral date has yet to be confirmed but it is hoped the wake will be held at the East Park café and the hearse will take Phyllis on one last trip around the park.