Traditional Christmas Pudding, set alight with brandy (Photo by By Ed g2s – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97164181)
Dear Readers, is there anything that says ‘winter’ more than a traditional steamed pudding? Although I am very fond of Christmas Pudding, it always seems a bit too much after all the rich food of the first part of the menu, so we generally have it on Boxing Day. But it seems that different regions in the UK have different steamed puddings, so here are a few that I love, or which sound intriguing.
First up, Clootie Dumpling – we always had this with custard after Christmas dinner when I worked in Dundee. It’s a much lighter version of the traditional Christmas pudding, and is cooked wrapped in a cloth (the ‘Clootie’) rather than in a bowl. In fact, this is making me think that this pudding is probably boiled rather than steamed, but you get the idea. Although it doesn’t look very inspiring, I can vouch for its deliciousness and its rib-sticking qualities, just the thing for a freezing day in the north of Scotland.
Clootie dumpling (Photo By Matt Riggott from Reykjavik, Iceland – Clootie dumplingUploaded by Diádoco, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11205179)
My Mum used to knock up a wonderful steamed jam pudding – I always thought of this as a real London recipe, but apparently it’s also known as Northamptonshire pudding, though there the jam must be raspberry. And very nice it looks too!
Northamptonshire Pudding (from https://www.littlesugarsnaps.com/steamed-jam-sponge-pudding/)
Then there’s Newcastle Pudding, which features glacé cherries…
Newcastle Pudding from https://dragonsandfairydust.co.uk/regional-recipes-newcastle-pudding/
Snowdon Pudding comes from Wales, and features a honey and lemon sauce…
Snowdon Pudding from Snowdon Pudding – The Hedgecombers
Sussex Pond Pudding ( By Ad084257 at English Wikipedia – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25328953)
And finally, there’s that butt of many a pudding-related joke, Spotted Dick. Apparently it was renamed ‘Spotted Richard’ in the House of Commons canteen, to head off any buffoonery, though I think they’d need to do more than rename a few desserts to stop the rise and rise of the double entendre.
Spotted Dick (Photo by By Ad084257 at English Wikipedia – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25328953)
So, apologies if this has made anyone start salivating at the thought of a proper steamed pudding, complete with fat, sugar and excess calories. They are such an old-fashioned thing, which could be a relatively economical way of using up jam/marmalade/syrup/eggs etc etc. And I haven’t even mentioned the savoury steamed puddings, such as steak and kidney pudding, which were such a feature when I was growing up. Does anyone else have pudding memories, or regional pudding recipes? Do share!
It is far too hot here to fully appreciate ‘Christmas pudding’, although I have occasionally made one for the celebration of changing the year – when the meal tends to be light anyway (again because of the heat). As there were only three of us at home for Christmas this year, I buckled and purchased a tiny traditional pudding – we ended up enjoying a tiny portion of it. The rest has been nibbled at cold 🙂 You have opened my eyes to the variety of traditional steamed puddings – a wonderful topic 🙂
In our house, in South London, we ate gloriously soggy Spotted Dog. Of course, that is its correct name (lol). We also ate steamed jam pudding frequently, or for a treat swopped the jam for Golden Syrup. As a new wife I got adventurous and tackled Sussex Pond. Oh, the joy when that luscious sauce oozed out on the first cut!
Ah yes, golden syrup pudding….
I don’t like Christmas pudding so we have a chocolate sponge for our Christmas dessert this year – but still haven’t had it yet! I’ve never heard of a Newcastle pudding, considering I’m from the NE. My mother used to make ‘leek pudding’ when I was growing up, which was basically suet pudding with leeks and I loved it – I haven’t had it since she died, so it’s been a long time.
I wasn’t convinced by the Newcastle pudding either, but leek pudding sounds just the thing for a cold winter day…
i have never had a steamed/boiled pudding, but I’m intrigued by the Sussex pond pudding. I saw Paul Hollywood make it with chocolate dough and an orange in the middle, but I think I’d prefer the traditional lemon one. I’ll have to look into where I’d get suet in Seattle. In the US (or at least on the west coast) we don’t typically cook or bake with suet.
A friend who lives in California was having terrible trouble finding suet and ‘proper’ candied peel, while my Canadian aunties always made me bring some golden syrup. It’s funny what ‘travels’ and what doesn’t!
Sussex Pond is so delicious that in my husband’s family it was known as Sinful Pudding.
I love it!