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Home , Black pudding, Bread and butter pudding, Clootie, Gervase Markham, Pudding, Spotted dick

FOOD & DRINK

The Club

It was while I was visiting my aunt and choice of seven (hot and cold). the earliest recipe books: The English uncle in Gloucestershire that I first heard At the end of the evening, they then vote Huswife, Containing the Inward and of the Pudding Club. As we drove through for the best pudding of the night. Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Mickleton, a small, picturesque Cotswold Puddings date back to medieval times in Complete Woman by , village, my uncle pointed out the Three Britain. Steamed puddings, puddings which was first published in 1615. Back Ways House Hotel and told me that he’d and puddings are all listed in one of then, puddings often meant a dish in recently been there to take part in the which meat and or sweet ingredients, ‘Pudding Club’. Intrigued, I wanted to find often in liquid form, were encased and out more. then steamed or boiled to set the con- It turns out the Pudding Club was thought tents, these were often savoury dishes up in 1985 by the then-owners Keith and such as: , , steamed Jean Turner, who felt that British puddings beef pudding or puddings; and it were disappearing and all that was offered has only been in the past century (around after a meal was and black for- 1950) that it came to mean any sweet est gateau. They wanted to bring back tra- dish at the end of the meal. I imagine it ditional British puddings that were starting must be somewhat confusing for first time to fade in to history, puddings such as: visitors to the to look at , , , a menu where they could be served a college pudding and many more. It black pudding at , a Yorkshire proved to be a huge success and now, 34 pudding for lunch and a sponge pudding years later, the Three Ways Hotel hosts a for supper, and not have any idea what club every Friday where guests can enjoy they may get on their plate. a main course before being offered a Sweet puddings may be at peril once

“Puddings date back to medieval times in Britain, steamed puddings, bread puddings and rice puddings are all listed in one of the earliest recipe books: , first published in 1615.”

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again as we all become more health con- not get to sample some of the delightful scious. However, it is well worth sampling puddings that are still available. Often pud- these unique creations that often involve dings are quick and easy to make and are bread, , dried and . Suet is a good way of using up leftovers: stale the hard white fat on the kidneys and bread can be transformed into treacle tart loins of cattle, sheep and other animals, or bread and pudding; milk and often used to make traditional puddings, eggs that need using up can be quickly pastry and mincemeat (the sweet dried whipped up into a ; lingering raisins filling you find in mince pies served at can be thrown into a spotted dick; normal Christmas), it gives a melting quality and rice, as well as pudding rice, can be used richness to the dish. In Mrs Beeton’s Book for a ; fruit can be used for of Household Management, published in and summer fruits are perfect 1861 and a book still revered by cooks for a summer pudding. today, extols the virtues of For those looking for healthy alternatives, fat and butter in her puddings. She wrote: simply substitute ingredients to make the “Good fresh butter, used in moderation, is dishes less fat and sugar heavy. Coconut easily digested; it is softening, nutritious butter can be used instead of suet or but- and fattening, and is far more easily di- ter (or you can buy vegetarian suet) and gested than any other of the oleaginous simply reduce the quantity of sugar substances sometimes used in its place.” needed in some recipes by a quarter, you Mrs Beeton’s book contains recipes for often won’t notice the difference. many puddings that remain popular to this Alternatively, replace the sugar with day: jam roly-poly, baked custard pudding, healthier , for example use agave rice puddings and apple tart. Her recipe syrup instead of golden syrup or coconut for baked is the blossom sugar instead of caster sugar. basis for many modern bread and butter My two personal favourite puddings I pudding recipes and includes currants, would recommend you try are a tradi- vanilla flavouring and nutmeg. There are tional steak and ale pudding, which is hard many of Mrs Beeton’s puddings though to find now in restaurants but I have seen that have already faded into history and that some traditional pubs and restaurants are no longer made: Herodotus pudding do serve it in September as part of British (breadcrumbs, figs, suet, sugar, salt, eggs Food Fortnight. I would then have a slice and nutmeg); Empress pudding (a kind of of afterwards, a Scottish rice pudding, interlayered with jam and steamed pudding that you may need to topped with puff pastry); Delhi pudding go to for. (cooked apples and currants in a pastry As for equipment, the key is a good pud- case, which is then boiled for two hours); ding bowl, they come in all sizes from Royal Coburg pudding; Barbary tart; and small to large; Mason Cash is a great place Macaroni pudding. to start. You will also need string and It would be a sad day if our children did muslin to tie over the top of the bowl if

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“Often puddings are quick and easy to make and are a good way of using up leftovers.” you are a pudding, however has a great range of puddings, which can greaseproof paper works just as well. be found under ‘traditional pudding Otherwise an -proof dish and a pas- recipes’ as do ‘olive’ and ‘Delicious’ web- try tin are also useful to make crumbles sites. Or look for traditional cookery and tarts. books and authors such as: , When it comes to recipes, there is one , , Leiths website dedicated to puddings called Bible, Good Housekeeping and the Great British Puddings (www.greatbritish- Pudding Club has their own recipe puddings.com) which has a wonderful book, too. array of recipes, some of them dating Of course, if cooking a pudding seems too back to the 17th century such as: much trouble and you simply want to pudding, a lovely or, less appeal- taste some puddings without having to ing, liver pudding which looks like a mix- make them, most supermarkets stock a ture of sweet and savoury ingredients range of traditional puddings or you can ranging from , currants and sugar to head to the Pudding Club (www.pudding- breadcrumbs and chopped liver – it’s not club.com), it is a great way to sample a a dish I’ll be rushing to make. The BBC range of puddings and it is a lovely excuse Good Food site (www.bbcgoodfood.com) to visit the Cotswolds.

Doune Mackenzie-Francis trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School in before becoming head of PR and marketing at Leiths School of Food and Wine. She is available to help teach you some cooking tips and tricks in your house. If you would like know more email: [email protected]

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