SPOTTED DICK PUDDING

Old fashioned traditional spotted dick steamed suet pudding, the first mouthful immediately takes me back to my childhood and those cold winter Sunday family afternoons where after the Sunday roast there was a glorious pudding to boot.

Prep Time 5 minutes / Cooking Time 1 hour

Ingredients

(serves 6-8)

250g self rising flour

125g suet grated

90g sugar

250g raisins

pinch of salt

100ml water

Optional Ingredients

zest and juice of 1 lemon or orange
1/4 tsp mixed spice

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl except the water and mix to combine, add almost all of the water and bring the mix together, you want a slightly sticky ball, add the rest of the water if you feel the mixture is not wet enough.

Grease a mason cash pudding basin and line the bottom with a disk of greaseproof paper, cut out another circle of grease proof paper the size of the top of the basin.  Fill the basin with your pudding mix, place the top disk of greaseproof paper, then a sheet of greaseproof paper over the top of the basin, fold this down the sides of the basin, with some string tie around the rim of the basin securing the greaseproof lid, it is helpful to tie the string from one side to the other creating a lifting handle for ease of use getting in and out of the steamer.

Bring a deep lidded pan 1/3 filled with water to a simmer, place a trivet in the bottom of the pan and then lower in you pudding basin, pop the lid on and gently simmer/steam for one hour, or until your testing skewer comes out clean.  Best served warm with lots of creamy custard.