Suet crust

Makes 2 puddings in 14 cm (5½ inch/No. 42) basins (moulds), or 1 large pudding in a cloth

300 g (10½ oz/2 cups) self-raising flour

130 g (4½ oz) shredded suet

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

a pinch of salt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

70 ml (2¼ fl oz) thin (pouring) cream, chilled

120 ml (4 fl oz) cold tap water

Filling

4 dessert apples, such as cox or jonagold (about 440 g/15½ oz, when cored and peeled)

140 g (5 oz) light brown sugar

150 g (5½ oz) good-quality butter, cubed, chilled

First prepare the pudding basins or pudding cloth following the instructions.

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the suet, cinnamon and salt. Then add the lemon juice, cream and cold water to bring the dough together into a stiff paste.

Dust the work surface with flour, roll out the dough and set one quarter of the dough aside for the lids. Place the dough into the pudding basins by pressing it down. Mould it so it is roughly the same thickness all over.

Core, peel and cut the apples in large dice, mix them with the sugar so all the pieces get a good coating, then add the cubes of butter so everything is divided quite evenly.

Divide the apple mixture between the puddings and fit a lid of dough to each pudding. Make sure you crimp the edges well so the pudding remains closed.

As a variation, you can put the butter inside a cored and peeled apple and encase a whole apple in each pudding.

Steam the puddings using the method explained. These puddings need 3 hours of steaming in the oven.