Maxine Morse 
· Mar 8, 2023 · 7 mins
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Traditional British puddings like treacle sponge, jam roly poly, spotted dick, trifle, rice pud are the greatest dishes in the world. If you thought that English food was bland and unappetising. you haven’t properly studied the dessert section of any self respecting London restaurant menu…
The History of Traditional British Puddings
Here’s the low down on how the traditional British pudding came into existence. In days of yore, puddings were bits of bread, foraged fruits and miscellaneous odds and ends that were boiled in sheep’s intestines. Fortunately, our ancestors then discovered that a pudding cloth worked just as well.
Poor families up and down the land filled their rumbling stomachs, after a meagre main course with pudding. These were cheap concoctions of flour, fat, sugar and jam or fruit, steamed for a few hours on top of the stove. To counteract the sticky texture that would cling to the roof of the mouth, puddings were often served with custard.
Another great inventor found that instead of using expensive eggs and cream to produce a vanilla flavoured custard sauce cornflour with artificial flavourings would give a similar result. Custard powder was mixed with hot milk. Eureka, the great British pudding with custard was born.
In the dead of a frozen winter, you may find yourself in a pub, gazing longingly down the menu at the pudding section. Maybe the inn keeper has one of these delicious puds with your name on it…
Spotted Dick with Custard is Such a Traditional British pudding that it is served in the Houses of Parliament.
Spotted Dick is a boiled suet pudding dotted with currants or raisins. The dried fruit are the “spots”. This pudding is also known as Spotted Dog. To avoid hilarity and school boy humour, in the Houses of Parliament it is called Spotted Richard. Dick is an abbreviation of the name Richard. Our politicians can be quite puerile.
Other steamed British puddings are treacle sponge, jam sponge, marmalade pudding and chocolate pudding. All of them are made with the additions of pantry staples such as golden syrup, jam, marmalade and cocoa powder. Prior to the fast food revolution, these puds were not only served in homes throughout the land but also made in gargantuan rectangle tins by school dinner ladies. They served them with a dollop of custard issued with force from a ladle. Some people went back for second helpings!
Traditional British puddings are gaining a resurgence in popularity. They cost pennies to make, freeze well and can be reheated in a microwave for 30 seconds. This means a pretty profit for a restauranteur.
Jam Roly Poly is a Traditional British Pudding Almost Universally Loathed by School Children from the 1950s-1970s.
Jam Roly Poly PuddingCongratulate yourself if you see this traditional British pudding on a menu. A Jam Roly Poly (otherwise known as Dead Man’s Arm or Dead Man’s Leg) is a great rarity. Basically, suet (shredded beef fat) pastry is flattened into a rectangle, then smothered with jam, rolled up like a Swiss roll and boiled in an old shirt sleeve. Much beloved by Mrs Beeton (the Jamie Oliver of the 1830s) and dreaded by school children up and down the land.
Christmas Pudding
Christmas Pudding is the most famous of the traditional British puddings. It is is usually served after a heavy Christmas dinner. A lead ball of a pudding that is made months in advance from mixed dried fruits steeped in half a bottle of brandy according to Mrs Beeton. Dark treacle is added before boiling for many hours. This gives the pudding its distinctive dark colour and taste. Traditionally, a 6 pence coin was added to the mixture and was given to the person who found it. You do wonder how many people choked on that coin.
Crumbles
Crumbles come in many different forms, the most popular are apple. Usually it is made with the Bramley cooking apple because it forms a white fluffy puree when cooked. Crumbles may also be made from rhubarb and plum. Restaurants make the most of fruits in season and add a crumble topping of flour, rubbed with butter and sugar. The dish is then oven baked until the fruit is soft and the topping golden.
Bread and Butter Pudding is a Retro Traditional British Pudding that is Making a Come Back.
Bread and Butter Pudding
Thrifty families use up stale bread in this recipe. Bread is buttered and sprinkled with sultanas or raisins before adding an egg custard, flavoured with grated nutmeg. Today you may see restaurants offering a croissant, panettone or brioche bread and butter pudding which enables them to use surplus bakery items from breakfast.
Rice Pudding
Another one of granny’s favourites is a baked rice pudding. A short grain “pudding” rice is baked with full fat milk, sugar and flavoured with cinnamon or nutmeg. The secret to cooking it is to let it cook on a very low heat. I have seen versions made with basmati but these are not retro at all.
English Trifle
English Trifle
A trifle is made using leftover or dried cake. This is doused in a sweet sherry and layered with bruised or squashed fruits, fruit puree or jelly. Followed by a layer of custard and whipped cream. Lurid red jelly and tinned fruit trifles are typical of the 1960s-1980s offerings at cheap hotels and restaurants throughout the land!
Tinned Fruit Salad
Tinned fruit salad is a personal favourite although you won’t see this on any menu. It is chopped pears, peaches, grapes and pineapple with a few cherries buried deep in the tin. We used to fight over the cherries as children. Served with a trickle of evaporated milk. If you were lucky you may get thick tinned cream.
So before you scoff at the idea of these traditional British puddings give one of these a try.
Find Out More About Traditional British Puddings
Rice Pudding and crumble are some of the easiest puddings to make at home but if you are feeling adventurous why not try your and at a few others. This is our favourite pudding basin for steaming and it is made by the iconic British brand Mason and Cash.
Traditional British Pudding Recipes
The BBC is a reliable web site for traditional British pudding recipes and some have a modern twist.
More About Desserts on Londonology
If you enjoyed this piece on traditional British puddings you may like to discover more about London’s best dessert (in our humble opinion).
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