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I have an annoying last clue to complete this- having found the theme and the names etc- if anyone is still following the thread.. help please.
30d Lottery, Ruth's last entry disappearing suspiciously in palm ( 6)
The 'h' is superfluous in Ruth. TR?I/E?Y. For the sake of completion thanks.

I don't have the puzzle to hand any more, but was it TROELY? It's the bussu palm, and an anagram of LOTTERY without one T (last letter of Rut(h). I believe it crossed with ISSEIS in the middle

Thanks Quisling. Yes that works perfectly. All done.

I thought this was a wonderfully constructed puzzle, not just the dynamic grid but the clues cleverly concealing the surprising anagram.
I logged on to see if anyone had the same outstanding query as me. Apparently not, so it will probably be kick myself answer.
How to parse 14a: 'Scoffed recipe celebrity chef reviewed.'?

Notnil, the 'recipe' is the slightly unusual 1-letter abbreviation (though it pops up a lot!) and the celebrity chef is 'reviewed', read.... It's definitely not a contemporary chef, but more a national treasure at one time.

Thanks, Malone. Yes I'm kicking myself.

Notril, glad I could help. And yes, this was an excellent puzzle - excellent on so many levels.