Jam roly poly

COOKING TIME 1–1½ HOURS

SERVES 4–6

180g (6½oz) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

Pinch of salt

90g (3oz) vegetable suet

Milk, to mix

450g (1lb) raspberry jam

1 tbsp caster sugar

Custard, to serve

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 190°C (375°F), Gas Mark 5. Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl, then add the suet and mix with enough milk to make a dough.

ON A FLOURED SURFACE, roll out the dough to about 25cm (10in) square and spread with the jam. Dampen the edges of the dough with water and roll up like a Swiss roll.

PLACE IN A ROASTING TIN and put in the oven, with one side of the tin raised so that the pudding rolls to one end. This will prevent the roly poly from unravelling. Bake for 1 hour. (Alternatively, wrap the pudding in foil to hold its shape and cover in cling film to make it watertight. Steam for 1½ hours, then carefully remove the cling film and foil.) Sprinkle the pudding with caster sugar and serve with custard.

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Hugely popular in Victorian Britain, this famous pudding even features in the writing of Charles Dickens (in Bleak House) and Beatrix Potter (in her Tale of Samuel Whiskers). Traditionally, the roly poly would have been boiled in a pudding cloth; but the skill of wrapping a pudding like this is now almost forgotten. At Pudding Club meetings, only spotted dick gets a bigger cheer.

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