Steam, Stodge – And So Much Suet: I Made 10 Endangered British Puddings. Are Any Actually Worth Saving?

Britain’s puddings are nether threat. According to research from English Heritage, only 2% of British households eat a regular homemade dessert, while a 3rd ne'er bake, boil aliases steam 1 astatine all.

“Sweet puddings are intimately intertwined pinch British history and it would beryllium a immense shame for them to dice out,” said nan charity’s elder curator of history, Dr Andrew Hann. But he went connected to propose that, astatine nan existent complaint of decline, nan British pudding will beryllium extinct successful 50 years.

No history, nary nostalgia … American Tim Dowling prepares to steam a sponge. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

Leaving speech analyzable questions astir what does and doesn’t represent a British pudding – we cognize an pome crumble is one, and a Calippo isn’t – we must inquire ourselves why we’ve stopped producing old-fashioned cooked desserts. Do we deficiency nan time, aliases nan accomplishment – aliases both? Have tastes changed? Have definite classical puddings simply faded from Britain’s corporate memory?

I can’t reply that past 1 – I’m American. I’ve been exposed to galore British puddings complete nan years, but I person nary history pinch them, aliases nostalgia for them. To remedy this, I tried cooking 10 of Britain’s endangered puddings, successful an effort to find retired which, if any, are worthy of a rescue effort, and which whitethorn merit their approaching extinction.

Jam roly-poly

Tim’s somewhat earthy jam roly-poly. Photograph: Tim Dowling/The Guardian

I’ve ne'er eaten a jam roly-poly, AKA shirt-sleeve pudding, AKA dormant man’s arm. My big British children reckon they person had it for schoolhouse dinners, but they were arsenic amazed arsenic I was by nan recipe, particularly nan generous magnitude of beef suet. Suet, nan fat astir nan kidneys of nan animal, is commonly disposable successful a reasonably inoffensive, pelleted form. There is simply a rootlike version, but I stuck pinch nan original.

I watched cook Aaron Middleton’s video tutorial, because I figured location would beryllium immoderate method to master, but nan mixed itself is basic: self-raising flour, butter, suet, sugar, milk. Once it comes together, you flatten it into a ample rectangle, slather nan full point successful raspberry jam, rotation it up and pinch nan ends.

Shredded beef suet. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

This assembly is past wrapped successful a parcel of greaseproof insubstantial and foil, and steamed successful nan oven, pinch a roasting tin afloat of boiling h2o sitting connected nan rack below.

The astir generous point I could opportunity astir my first jam roly-poly is that it fto maine down: it didn’t rise; it didn’t shape a crust; it didn’t, to beryllium honest, travel retired of nan oven looking materially different from erstwhile I put it in. If I were being little generous, I would besides adhd that it was disgusting – claggy, sickly saccharine and still earthy successful places. Something went wrong, and I’m not judge what. I forced a portion connected my mediate boy and dared him to beryllium complimentary.

“You tin really sensation nan suet,” he said.

Star standing (1 being nan slightest palatable/hardest to make, and 5 nan nicest/easiest): taste: 1; ease: 1

Sussex pond pudding

Inferior to an existent pome … Tim’s Sussex pond pudding. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

I followed Mary Berry’s look for this timeless British pudding that I’ve ne'er heard of; you person to wonderment if nan sanction isn’t a large portion of nan problem. Sussex pond pudding is made pinch apples, muscovado sweetener and, yes, much suet. It besides has a full citrus astatine its heart, which I conjecture you’re expected to trim astir erstwhile you service it. But we’re getting up of ourselves.

It employs a akin mixed to nan 1 for nan jam roly-poly that grounded maine truthful badly, though possibly this 1 is simply a small drier. The apples are peeled, cored, diced into cubes and mixed pinch acold food and sugar. You besides request a pudding basin of astir 1.5 litres capacity, aliases astir 20cm diameter crossed nan top.

The basin is thoroughly buttered, nan mixed rolled retired into a 30cm circle. Slice retired 1 4th of it – from noon to 3pm, opportunity – and reserve. The remainder should fresh snugly into nan contours of your pudding bowl. Spoon a spot of nan apple, food and sweetener substance into nan bottommost of nan pastry lining. Pierce nan citrus each complete pinch a fork aliases cocktail instrumentality and beryllium it upright successful nan mixture. Surround that pinch much apples, and past move your reserved mixed into a information lid.

A dog’s dinner? Tim and his pudding. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

I had to watch a video of a feline sealing and tying his pudding vessel for steaming respective times – it’s analyzable – but you manner a covering from a furniture of greaseproof insubstantial and 1 of foil, pinch a pleat down nan mediate for description . Then, you necktie drawstring tightly information nan separator (pudding basins person a pronounced articulator for this purpose), create a grip from much string, and trim disconnected nan excess foil. The resulting parcel is beautiful awesome – if only 1 was allowed to extremity there.

This package goes into a large cookware pinch a tight-fitting lid, pinch boiling h2o poured halfway up nan sides of nan bowl. Simmer pinch nan lid connected for – get this – three-and-a-half hours, topping up nan h2o arsenic needed.

As soon arsenic it’s cool enough, invert complete a plate; you should extremity up pinch a crusty dome surrounding an pome pastry filling. And a lemon.

I utilized to deliberation I understood what nan connection stodgy meant successful a culinary context, but nan Sussex pond pudding has reset my framework of reference. This is, by immoderate measure, nan heaviest dessert I’ve ever made, and while it’s not terrible, I can’t deliberation of thing to urge it complete a 100 different apple-based foodstuffs, including an apple.

Taste: 2; ease: 2

Bread and food pudding

Tim’s breadstuff and food pudding. Photograph: Tim Dowling/The Guardian

Besides suet, nan different large constituent you’ll find successful endangered British puddings is aged breadstuff – nan older nan better. Many pudding recipes moreover connection tips for ageing breadstuff which is insufficiently past it.

I’ve tasted – and, pinch definite reservations, enjoyed – breadstuff and food pudding successful nan past, but I’ve ne'er made my own. I hadn’t rather realised nan grade to which it is simply meal successful different shape – toast, butter, eggs, beverage – pinch a fewer sultanas scattered complete nan top. As classical puddings go, it’s refreshingly foolproof – conscionable furniture everything into a heavy dish, for illustration a lasagne, and cook until set. My family ate this without title and, though I’ve ever recovered it disconcerting that existent slices of breadstuff are near sticking up retired of it – for illustration nan sardine heads poking retired of a stargazy pastry – I would dislike to spot it go extinct for that reason.

Taste: 3; ease: 3

Queen of puddings

Tim holds his queen of puddings. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

To beryllium connected nan safe side, I chose a look by nan queen of puddings herself, Delia Smith. This is different aged breadstuff dessert, requiring caller (ie stale) achromatic breadcrumbs soaked successful basking milk, mixed pinch sugar, ovum yolks, food and citrus zest. The consequence is baked successful an ovenproof crockery until it takes connected a weird rubbery texture. Then you dispersed melted jam complete nan top, furniture stiff ovum whites connected apical of nan jam, and cook for different 10 to 15 minutes until nan meringue peaks are nicely singed.

This was a wholly astonishing occurrence – elegant and moreover a small decadent, though I only had a sensation earlier my woman took nan full point to a meal statement I wasn’t invited to, and came backmost pinch an quiet dish. In nan circumstances, afloat marks.

Taste: 5; ease: 4

Treacle sponge pudding

Shabby worldly … Tim’s treacle sponge pudding. Photograph: Tim Dowling/The Guardian

I’m relieved to observe that this contains neither suet aliases aged bread. According to Delia, it’s a sponge batter pinch a spot of achromatic treacle successful nan mix, poured into a pudding basin that already has a generous puddle of aureate syrup successful nan bottom, and steamed for 2 hours. When it’s turned out, nan syrup should tally down done it successful nan time-honoured fashion.

My first ever effort was a small shabby successful quality – immoderate of nan sponge clung to nan bowl, and I missed nan mediate of nan sheet erstwhile turning it retired – but it was perfectly delicious erstwhile accompanied by custard, double cream, clotted pick or, successful my case, an unholy operation of nan three.

Taste: 5; ease: 4

Flummery

Tim adds whipped pick to his flummery. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

An ancient, jelly-like dessert, flummery is traditionally thickened pinch nan starch that comes from oatmeal soaked successful water. This presents 2 problems from nan modern cook’s perspective: first, a afloat 48 hours of soaking is required earlier nan oatmeal is discarded and nan starchy h2o preserved; and second, moreover that will not beryllium enough.

“So nan flummery refuses to thicken,” is simply a building that could easy travel from a 17th-century book of aphorisms. But that’s what happened to me. I stirred nan substance of cloudy oat water, orangish juice and sweetener for astir half an hour, and still it doth refuse.

Tim and his boy springiness his flummery a whirl. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

The look I consulted says that if your flummery is reluctant to thicken you tin adhd a spot of cornflour, which is different measurement of saying “warning: this look whitethorn not work”. A spot of cornflour, I decided, equates to astir half a teaspoon. When that achieved nothing, I added different half teaspoon, and another, and another. By that constituent I was thinking: moreover if this works, it’s nary longer a existent flummery.

Suddenly, almost an hr aft I started stirring, nan substance turned to glue. I hit successful immoderate pick and put it successful nan fridge, arsenic instructed, to group moreover further. The look is meant to output six dessert glasses of flummery. My type stretched to precisely one.

However, erstwhile I’d added a bladed furniture of chromatic mixed pinch whisky, and a heavy furniture of piped whipped pick dusted pinch orangish zest, nan dessert started looking nan part. It moreover tasted good, though of nan 3 layers, nan bottommost 1 – nan flummery itself – was my slightest favourite.

Taste: 3; ease: 1

Spotted dick

Dull and barren … Tim’s spotted dick successful progress. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

This is nan past of nan suet puddings connected nan list, and ideally nan past 1 I will ever make. I americium getting very bully astatine trussing up puddings for steaming, but progressively little bully astatine eating them – I’m opening to suffer heart.

This is fundamentally nan aforesaid aged basal suet dough, this clip studded pinch currants, a benignant of miser’s raisin. Curiously, James Martin’s look leaves retired nan protective foil furniture for steaming – he uses greaseproof insubstantial pinch a beverage towel complete nan apical instead. It sounds risky, but I travel his instructions because I’m not successful a position to cognize if it makes a difference.

The result, however, looks perfect, and tastes precisely arsenic I guessed it would: barren and dull. It’s overmuch amended pinch custard, but not arsenic bully arsenic custard connected its own.

Taste: 2; ease: 4

Malvern pudding

Tim’s Malvern pudding. Photograph: Tim Dowling/The Guardian

This 1 is elemental – apples successful custard, pinch a demerara sweetener and cinnamon crust connected top, for illustration a Worcestershire creme brulee. The Hairy Bikers’ look relies connected what is fundamentally a creme patissiere; but if you tin nail that portion nan remainder is easy, arsenic good arsenic tasty. It’s besides nan only 1 of nan 10 puddings present that you could conceivably nutrient connected a whim. Malvern pudding came eighth successful a database of nan 10 astir threatened British puddings backmost successful 2006 (calf’s ft jelly came top), but connected this showing it deserves reassessment.

Taste: 5; ease: 4

Cabinet pudding

Begging for pick … Tim’s furniture pudding. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

The humanities type of furniture pudding – aliases chancellor’s pudding – seems to beryllium different aged breadstuff recipe, but nan type I made is simply a reasonably mean benignant of sponge. The gimmicks are nan mixed peel added to nan mixed and nan halved glace cherries decorating nan sides. You must adhd nan mixed a spot astatine a time, to support each caller statement of cherries on nan wall of nan basin, different they’ll gaffe off. It needs to steam for an hr and a half, which successful nan world of accepted British puddings is simply a blink of an eye.

I for illustration this 1 – it looks very impressive, for comparatively small effort, and, for illustration almost each these puddings, it begs to beryllium drowned successful custard aliases pick aliases both. If you were nan chancellor you whitethorn consciousness you deserved more, but I was happy enough.

Taste: 3; ease: 4

Rice pudding

Tim’s atom pudding. Photograph: Tim Dowling/The Guardian

A confession: I person a longstanding aversion to atom pudding. I can’t telephone it dislike, because I’ve ne'er really fto immoderate walk my lips. But it doesn’t emergence to nan level of a phobia either; conscionable a life of saying, “None for me, thanks.”

I spot nan nutrient writer Simon Hopkinson successful each things, but I’m taking his connection for it successful this case, since I don’t cognize what atom pudding is expected to sensation like. He starts his atom pudding connected nan hob: pouring butter, coating nan pudding atom (not that easy to travel by, but it’s fundamentally paella rice), and stirring successful sweetener until nan atom is swollen and sticky. Add beverage – a full litre – immoderate cream, vanilla and a grating of nutmeg complete nan top. Bake for betwixt an hr and 90 minutes, depending.

I’m assured by my wife, who likes atom pudding, that this is simply a very bully version. Having tried it for nan first time, I tin return to my aversion pinch confidence. At this point, I rather fancy a Calippo.

Taste: 3.5; ease: 5

No tears shed … collateral from nan spotted dick. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

Of each nan puddings tested, I would opportunity that Malvern pudding is astir worthy of rehabilitation, and simultaneously nan astir successful request of it. And while I would shed nary tears if either spotted dick aliases Sussex pond pudding became extinct tomorrow, jam roly-poly is 1 pudding I’d beryllium happy to terminate pinch utmost prejudice.