White pudding

Makes 4 decent-size puddings; serves 4–6

200 g (7 oz/2 cups) rolled (porridge) oats, soaked in milk overnight, drained

100 g (3½ oz) pinhead oatmeal (steel-cut oats), soaked in milk overnight, drained

500 ml (35 fl oz/2 cups) thick (double) cream

a few saffron threads, added to the cream, optional

3 egg yolks

50 g (1¾ oz) shredded suet

20 g (¾ oz) seedless dates

20 g (¾ oz) currants

3 cloves, ground

½ teaspoon ground mace

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

a pinch of pepper

sausage casing, soaked in salted water overnight (or as instructed on the pack)

Put all of the soaked and drained oats into a large saucepan. Pour the cream (and saffron, if using) into the oats, then add the egg yolks, suet, dates, currants and the combined spices. Bring to a boil over high heat, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Place the sausage casing over a funnel with a wide opening. You can tie the casing around the funnel if you like. I make a homemade funnel from the top of a plastic bottle; this works best to keep the sausage casing in place.

Scoop the pudding batter into a piping (icing) bag with a large plain nozzle roughly the same size as the funnel opening. Put the piping bag in the funnel and start squeezing out the pudding mixture. Help the mixture down by squeezing the skins slightly with wet hands to force it down.

Make links by pushing the mixture down gently and tying a piece of kitchen string around the casing to fasten it off. Then tie another piece of string beside the first and cut between the two so you have separate sausages. Alternatively, tie the sausage casing in a knot.

Heat a large saucepan of water to just under boiling point (80°C/175°F) and place the puddings in the water. Gently simmer for 30–40 minutes, then remove them from the water and allow them to cool.

To serve, fry the pudding whole and serve with honey, maple syrup or golden syrup (light treacle), or a little sugar.