Plum duff

COOKING TIME 1–1½ HOURS

SERVES 4–6

150g (5oz) self-raising flour, plus extra for sprinkling

75g (3oz) shredded suet

100g (3½oz) currants

100g (3½oz) raisins

100g (3½oz) demerara sugar

Pinch of mixed spice

Approx. 150ml (5fl oz) milk

Custard or melted jam, to serve

IN A LARGE BOWL, mix together the flour, suet, currants, raisins, sugar and spice. Mix with enough milk to form a stiff dough. Soak a clean tea towel or pudding cloth in boiling water, wring then open out flat and sprinkle with a little flour. Put the dough into the centre of the floured cloth and tie up like a football.

DROP THE WRAPPED DOUGH into a saucepan of boiling water, cover and boil for 1½ hours, adding more water to the pan as necessary so that it doesn’t boil dry. At the end of the cooking time, remove the pudding from the pan and unwrap carefully. Serve with custard or melted jam.

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Originally known as ‘plum dough’, this began life as a British ‘street food’, sold from cloth-covered baskets by street vendors’ wives. These days, people often wonder why plum duff contains no plums, but back in the 17th century, the word was used to refer to all manner of fruits, including raisins and currants.

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