English puddings have been famous for hundreds of years, and rightly so. Both at home and abroad, they are acknowledged as excellent and uniquely English. There are an immense number of them, falling within a relatively limited range. Within each group a few examples still survive, while many more have been forgotten. Probably the most typical are the hot steamed and baked puddings that only exist in this country. These are made with varying combinations of suet, flour and, sometimes, breadcrumbs. Some are made with fresh fruit, usually apples, while others contain dried fruit. Many are flavoured with jam, marmalade, syrup, treacle, or ginger. They may be steamed, boiled or baked; those containing suet are always cooked in steam, or water. Nowadays, these are made in pudding basins standing within a large covered saucepan half filled with boiling water. Until Victorian times, however, these same puddings were simply wrapped in a cloth and submerged in boiling water. This explains the traditional ‘cannon-ball’ shape of plum puddings in old prints. In some parts of the country, people continue to boil their puddings in the old way, maintaining that they taste better.
Puddings made with fat instead of suet may be baked or steamed according to taste. Baking gives a light, crisp pudding, rather like a hot cake, while steaming produces a softer, moister texture. Most of these puddings were served with a custard sauce, or with cream, or both. Some had sauces relating to their fillings. A canary pudding was accompanied by a hot jam sauce, sometimes laced with brandy, while castle puddings were served with a sauce of golden syrup warmed and sharpened with a dash of lemon juice.
Then we come to the sweet pastry dishes, the fruit pies and tarts. Unlike the Continental and American fruit pies, which were made with two crusts, the English version was made in a deep china or glass dish filled with sweetened fruit, usually sliced apples or whole gooseberries, and covered with a pastry lid. Even the traditional apple pie was capable of variation, as in Lady Portarlington’s version, where a dollop of Devonshire cream was slipped under the lid before serving. Another remarkable pastry dish was Bakewell tart; this was an old Derbyshire dish not far removed from the almond tart often seen today in fashionable restaurants. Bakewell tart is especially good when made with fresh raspberries, instead of jam, and served with clotted cream.
English apple puddings are legion. Indeed, we are the only country to grow cooking apples commercially; Continental dishes like the French tarte aux pommes and the Viennese apfelstrudel are made with dessert apples. And for these sorts of dishes the dessert apple is best, but for others where a soft fluffy mass is desired, only the Bramley will do. Apples were often combined with pastry; with suet, as in apple hat; with bread, as in apple Charlotte and brown Betty; with sponge, as in Eve’s pudding; or on their own, as in baked apples, compotes and purées. The combination of crisp fried bread, caramelized sugar, and tart, juicy apples is unbeatable; a good example is Elsie de Wolfe’s caramel apples.
Also very English are the bread puddings. Two are still much in evidence: summer pudding and bread and butter pudding. Both had many variations which have been long forgotten: paradise pudding, made with alternate layers of bread soaked in milk, and soft fruit; and satisfaction pudding, made like bread and butter pudding, with jam added, and a meringue topping. Best of all is probably Constance Spry’s toffee pudding, whereby fingers of white bread are soaked in milk, then dipped in toffee sauce and served hot, with cream.
With few exceptions, milk puddings are viewed askance today, by grown-ups and children alike. Yet before the Second World War they were very popular indeed, at all levels of society. Most favoured by the upper classes, especially the men, were the steamed and baked puddings, also rice pudding. The Bath Club’s speciality was a cold rice pudding set almost solid with a little gelatine, and cut in slices like a cake. An elaborate form of creamed rice was tête de nègre: set inside a round mould, encased within a chocolate shell, and topped with a turban of whipped cream. Milk puddings were most popular lower down the social scale, but these too were enjoyed at all levels, in a slightly more elaborate form. Lady Cunard used to serve tapioca beaten up with cream at her luncheon parties, while Lady Mendl offered a blancmange with orange sauce, or semolina with currant sauce.
Fortunately, the English love for custard survived the invention of Bird’s Custard Powder (which was already in existence by 1920), at least in the upper-middle classes. In working-class homes, Bird’s Custard soon ousted the real thing in popularity, and was much used in trifles, or with tinned fruit. But there is nothing quite so good with hot fruit puddings as a true boiled custard, sometimes called sauce à la vanille. Often it would be served with cream as well, or with a proportion of whipped cream incorporated within it. Sometimes it formed part of the dish, in combinations of custard and meringue, like floating island and bombe favorite. Variations of the former are still found on the dessert trolleys in old-fashioned hotels and restaurants; a modern innovation is the golden thread of caramel dribbled over the meringue.
Lastly come the ices, on which the country houses prided themselves. With superlative fruit grown to order in their greenhouses, cream from the home farm, and obliging kitchen maids to crank the churn, these set few problems, and the results were often exquisite. They were always freshly made, since domestic freezers did not exist. Refrigerators appeared in 1925, but by 1939 only one house in fifty had one. Yet ice was not a problem. Most of the big country houses had their own ice house, where great blocks of ice were stored all year round. In the big towns, the ice-cart would deliver two or three times a week. The ice came in a huge block and was stored in a chest; pieces were hacked off and used as required.
In the grand houses, the pudding was followed by cheese at lunchtime, and a savoury at dinner. After the cheese, or savoury, the table was cleared and dishes of fresh fruit were handed round. It was very carefully arranged, each variety kept separate, piled high on sets of matching porcelain dessert dishes, often Sèvres or Meissen. There would be four or even five to choose from, at certain times of year: figs, peaches, nectarines, melons, grapes, apricots, strawberries, raspberries and giant dessert gooseberries, as well as apples and pears. All were grown in the garden, and came under the jurisdiction of the head gardener, rather than the cook. In some houses, he would indicate which pear was to be eaten next. The hothouse muscat grapes were often a special source of pride. At Cottesbrooke, the Macdonald-Buchanans’ garden, it took a gardener up to twenty minutes to thin a bunch of grapes, so that each individual grape could grow extra large.
APPLE CHARLOTTE
A classic English pudding, and one of the very best.
900g cooking apples, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
120g granulated sugar
120g butter
4 tablespoons water
juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons apricot jam
approx. 8 thin slices of dry white bread, crusts removed
Put the sliced apples in a heavy pan with the sugar, 30g of butter and 4 tablespoons of water. Cook gently, covered, until soft. Then uncover the pan and continue to cook, uncovered, over a low heat until you have a thick purée. Stir in the lemon juice and apricot jam; set aside.
Cut the bread to fit a mould or soufflé dish about 7.5cm deep. Melt the remaining 85g of butter and dip the pieces of bread in it so that they are coated on both sides, then replace them in the dish. Fill the lined dish with the apple purée and cover with a lid of more bread dipped in butter, cut to fit neatly into the top of the dish. Bake for 35–40 minutes at 180°C/gas 4, or until the top layer of bread is crisp and golden brown. Turn out on to a flat dish to serve, fairly hot but not scalding, with a jug of thick cream, or creamy custard sauce (see page 161). Serves 4–6. Adapted from Come Into the Garden, Cook, by Constance Spry
APPLE HAT
Suet and apples go together like bread and cheese, but for this great English dish I prefer to use crisp dessert apples, like Granny Smiths, rather than Bramleys. Custard sauce is almost obligatory with this pudding, or thick cream.
45g butter
225g self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
120g shredded suet
4 Granny Smiths, or other crisp apple, peeled, cored and sliced
4 tablespoons brown sugar
grated rind of 1 lemon
Grease a 1.2 litre pudding basin with some of the butter. Sift the flour with the salt and cut in the suet with the blade of a knife; mix lightly. Stir in enough cold water to make a firm dough, and cut in 2 pieces, one larger than the other (75/25). Roll out the larger piece to line the greased bowl. Put the apples in it, sprinkling with brown sugar and lemon rind. Roll out the remaining suet and lay over the bowl. Damp the edges, press together to seal and trim. Cover with a piece of buttered foil, doming it slightly to allow for expansion. Tie with string around the rim of the bowl. Steam over (or in) boiling water for 2 hours. Serves 5–6. Serve with creamy custard sauce (page 161), or cream. AB
LADY PORTARLINGTON’S APPLE TART
This is an unusual two-crust apple pie, with a generous dollop of whipped (or clotted) cream slipped under the lid before serving. Lady Portarlington served it ‘iced’; I assume this meant chilled, but I prefer to serve it warm.
PASTRY
340g flour, sifted
1½ teaspoons caster sugar
180g butter, cut in bits
1 egg yolk
about 6 tablespoons iced water
FILLING
3–4 crisp dessert apples, Cox or Granny Smith, peeled, cored and sliced
2 teaspoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
GLAZE
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
GARNISH
275ml double cream, lightly whipped, or clotted cream icing sugar, sifted
Make the pastry as usual and chill for 20–30 minutes. Divide it in 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Roll out the larger one and line a 23cm pie tin. Weigh down with foil and dried beans and bake blind for 8 minutes at 190°C/gas 5, then remove the foil and beans and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Lay the sliced apples in the pastry case, sprinkling with sugar and lemon juice. Brush the edges of the pastry case with the egg yolk beaten with the milk, then roll out the remaining pastry and lay over the base. Trim the edges and seal. Decorate with some pastry leaves, then brush all over with the egg glaze. Bake for 10 minutes at 190°C/gas 5, then for a further 30 minutes at 180°C/gas 4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 30–60 minutes. Just before serving, cut round the edge carefully and lift off the lid. Do not worry if it breaks into 2 or 3 pieces. Spread the lightly whipped cream over the surface of the apples and replace the lid. Sprinkle very lightly with icing sugar and serve straight away. Serves 6. Adapted from Lady Portarlington, in Vogue
CARAMEL APPLES
The combination of tart apples, crisp fried bread and thick cream is unbeatable.
3 Granny Smith dessert apples, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
70g butter
approx. 85g caster sugar
4 tablespoons apricot jam, warmed and sieved
4 slices of dry white bread, 7.5mm thick, crusts removed
Fry the sliced apples in half the butter. Do them in batches, in a broad frying pan. As each batch is done, transfer them to a shallow (or flat) serving dish and sprinkle each layer with 1 tablespoon caster sugar and brush with the sieved apricot jam. Keep in a warm place while you fry the rest of the apples, piling them in a level mound.
Then prepare the bread. Cut each slice in 3.5cm squares, then cut each square into 2 triangles. Fry these in the remaining butter until lightly coloured, then drain on soft paper and lay on a baking sheet. Sprinkle them with half the remaining sugar, then place under the grill just until the sugar has melted and lightly coloured. Then remove from the grill, turn the bread over, sprinkle with the remaining sugar and replace under the grill. When lightly browned on both sides lay them over the apples and serve, hot, with a jug of thick cream. Serves 6. Adapted from Elsie de Wolfe’s Recipes for Successful Dining
BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING
This is my own recipe for an old favourite among puddings, and one that is fairly typical of the period. A delicious accompaniment, although not authentic, is home-made vanilla ice cream. Between the wars this pudding would have been served with a jug of cream, or, for a simple meal, alone.
85g dry white bread, crusts removed, sliced
approx. 30g unsalted butter
20g raisins
275ml milk
150ml single cream
3 eggs
85g vanilla sugar, or caster sugar
Butter the slices of bread, cut each one in half diagonally, and lay them in a buttered china dish holding 570ml. Scatter the raisins between each layer of bread and over the top. Heat the milk with the cream in a small pan. Beat the eggs with the sugar, using an electric hand-beater or wire whisk. When the milk is about to boil, pour it on to the eggs, continuing to beat. Then pour on to the bread through a strainer. Bake for 40–45 minutes at 170°C/gas 3, until the custard has set and the top has become crisp and golden brown. Serves 4. This pudding is best served warm, about 45 minutes after taking out of the oven. Accompany it with a jug of thick cream, or some vanilla ice cream. AB
BAKEWELL TART
Jam puddings of this sort are once again fashionable, I am glad to say. I make this with short pastry instead of puff, as stated in the original recipe.
SHORT PASTRY
120g flour
70g unsalted butter
½ teaspoon caster sugar
a little iced water
FILLING
4 tablespoons each strawberry and apricot jam
2 tablespoons ground almonds
85g unsalted butter
55g caster sugar
3 egg yolks
1 large lemon
70g soft white breadcrumbs
1 egg white
a pinch of salt
Line a round tin with pastry, roll out the bottom quite thin, put on it a layer of two sorts of jam, strawberry and apricot, sprinkle on it a thin layer of ground almonds. Beat to a cream 85g of real butter and add to it 55g of caster sugar. Then add the yolks of three fresh eggs, the grated rind and juice of 1 large lemon, 70g of fine breadcrumbs, and the white of one egg well beaten with a pinch of salt. Pour on this mixture [into the pastry case] and bake carefully [for about 40 minutes, or until set, at 180°C/gas 4]. The mixture must set and the jam must not boil up and show. Eaten as a rule cold. [Even better warm.] Enough for six people. Lovely Food, by Ruth Lowinsky
CASTLE PUDDINGS
These little individual puddings like tiny sandcastles are made in dariole moulds. They may be either baked or steamed, and are usually served with a golden syrup sauce. If you don’t have dariole moulds, make one big pudding in a bowl and steam it. In this case it is called canary pudding, and is usually served with a hot jam sauce.
120g unsalted butter
120g caster sugar
120g self-raising flour, sifted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons milk, or as needed
SAUCE
6 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons lemon juice
The sponge mixture may be made in a food processor or mixed by hand. Cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the sifted flour and beaten eggs alternately, a little at a time. Add the lemon rind and, lastly, enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency. Pour into small dariole moulds which have been well buttered. Do not fill them more than ¾ full. They may be baked for 20 minutes at 180°C/gas 4, or steamed over boiling water for 30 minutes.
When the time is up, make the sauce. Warm the syrup in a small pan, adding the lemon juice, and pour into a small jug or sauceboat. Turn out the puddings to serve, cutting a slice off the top of each one to make a level base. Serve with the warm sauce and a jug of thick cream. Serves 6. AB
This is made with exactly the same mixture as castle puddings, but instead of using individual moulds the mixture is turned into a greased pudding basin holding about 825ml. (If to be served with a jam sauce, 2 tablespoons of the same jam may be put in the bottom of the bowl before adding the sponge mixture.) The bowl is covered with foil and tied as usual, then steamed for 2 hours. If made with jam, serve with the apricot jam sauce on page 160 or the mixed jam sauce on page 163. Alternatively, make without jam and serve with the golden syrup sauce above. Serves 5–6. AB
SEVEN-CUP PUDDING
My mother was given this receipt by her Scottish mother-in-law when she married. It is an old favourite: like a simpler version of plum pudding, made on the ‘cup’ principle instead of using scales. On a cold grey day it is very good indeed, served with a creamy custard sauce (see page 161), or lemon and vanilla sauce (see page 162). Use a teacup holding 175ml as your measure.
1 teacupful soft white breadcrumbs
1 teacupful shredded suet
1 teacupful sultanas
1 teacupful currants
1 teacupful caster sugar
1 teacupful plain flour
55g chopped mixed peel
55g coarsely chopped almonds
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice, or allspice
a pinch of salt
1 egg
approx. 150ml milk
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon wine vinegar
Mix all the ingredients together except for the egg, milk, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Break the egg into a measuring jug and make up to 175ml with milk. Stir into the mixture. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the vinegar for a few moments, then stir in also. Mix all together very well, then turn into a buttered pudding basin and steam for 4–6 hours. Turn out to serve, with creamy custard sauce (page 161), lemon and vanilla sauce (page 162), plain custard, or cream. Serves 6–8. Lady Moray
CHRISTMAS PUDDING
Everyone has their own recipe for plum pudding; this is a good one, less rich than some, but light and full of flavour. In the old days, the puddings were kept from one year to the next, or made months ahead of time. The old houses had cool airy larders in which to store them, however, and anyone who tries to keep a plum pudding for long in a centrally heated flat is in for a nasty surprise, as it is sure to grow a coating of mould. Ideally, I would make the Christmas puddings about six weeks in advance.
680g seedless raisins
225g cut mixed peel
225g glacé cherries, halved
120g coarsely chopped almonds
340g shredded suet
340g soft white breadcrumbs
8 eggs, beaten
150ml Guinness
6 tablespoons brandy
Mix the raisins, peel, cherries, almonds, suet and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Stir in the beaten eggs, Guinness and brandy. Leave for a few hours at this stage, or even overnight if convenient, for the flavours to develop. When ready to cook, pack the mixture into three 825ml pudding basins which have been well buttered. (If adding charms, put them in now, and remember to indicate which bowl has the charms.) Do not fill them too full; there should be at least 2.5cm left empty at the top. Cover with a buttered piece of foil, doming it slightly to allow extra room for the pudding to swell. Then wrap in a square piece of clean linen – part of an old sheet will do – knotting the four corners over the top to form a handle, useful for lowering the pudding in and out of the water. Have a very large pan ready with boiling water to come halfway up the side of the bowls. Lay each bowl on an upturned saucer or small cake tin, and cover the pan. Boil steadily for 6 hours, adding more boiling water from time to time, as needed. When the time is up, lift out the puddings and leave to cool; one can be eaten straightaway if you like. The others should be stored in a cool place. If giving one or two as presents, wrap them in clean cloth after cooling.
Before serving, they should be boiled again in the same way, for 4–6 hours. To serve on Christmas Day itself, turn out on to a flat dish and stick a sprig of holly in the centre. Warm 3 tablespoons of brandy gently in a soup ladle, then set light to it with a match, and pour – flaming – over the pudding just before you set it on the table. Each of these puddings will serve 6–8 people; but two larger ones – or one giant – can be made if preferred. AB
GENTLEMAN’S PUDDING
A fine example of a steamed sponge pudding, made without suet or breadcrumbs. Light, delicate in flavour, and with an outstanding sauce, it is one of the best.
140g butter
70g caster sugar
140g self-raising flour
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons raspberry jam
SAUCE
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon caster sugar
70ml dry sherry
1½ tablespoons raspberry jam
Cream butter and sugar, add sifted flour and eggs [one at a time] alternately. Beat well, then add jam. Turn into a buttered bowl [holding about 1 litre] and steam for 1½ hours. Turn out and serve with the following sauce: Whip egg yolks with sugar over hot water. Add sherry, then jam. Serve hot, either poured around the pudding, or separately, in a sauceboat. Cream may be served as well, if you wish. Serves 6. Lady Colefax, in Vogue
MARMALADE PUDDING
This pudding uses a mixture of equal parts suet and breadcrumbs, with no flour.
120g soft white breadcrumbs
120g shredded suet
120g caster sugar
2 heaped tablespoons marmalade, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
SAUCE
4 tablespoons marmalade, chopped
2 tablespoons orange juice
150ml double cream
Mix the breadcrumbs, suet and sugar in a bowl. Mix the marmalade with the beaten egg and stir into the suet mixture. Turn into a greased pudding basin holding about 825ml. Cover with greased foil, slightly domed, and tie with string around the rim of the bowl. Steam over boiling water for 2 hours, or stand in a large covered saucepan with boiling water coming halfway up the sides of the bowl. Check now and then to see that it is not boiling dry, adding more boiling water as needed. When the time is up, make the sauce. Put the marmalade and orange juice in a small pan, add 2 tablespoons of water, and heat gently. Add the cream, stirring till blended. When all is hot, pour into a sauceboat. Unmould the pudding on to a round dish and serve with the marmalade sauce. Serves 4–5. AB
PUDDING LOUISE
I am told by a mutual friend that this was Lord Berners’ favourite pudding. It is very good indeed, rather like Bakewell tart without the almonds. I have adapted it from the original, which was brief, but very precise. I tend to use Tiptree Raspberry Seedless, or Blackberry Jelly, instead of redcurrant jelly.
PASTRY
180g flour
85g unsalted butter
a little iced water
FILLING
4–5 tablespoons redcurrant (or other fruit) jelly
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g caster sugar
55g flour, sifted
Make the pastry as usual. Chill for 20 minutes, then roll out to line a 23cm pie tin. Chill again, then bake blind, weighed down with foil and dried beans, for 8 minutes at 190°C/gas 5. Remove the foil and beans, and bake for a further 5 minutes at 180°C/gas 4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Later, spread the jelly over the bottom of the pastry case. Cream the butter and sugar, either by hand or in a food processor. Mix in the sifted flour and spread over the jelly. Bake for 1 hour at 170°C/gas 3. Serve soon after coming out of the oven, with cream. Serves 6. This tart is utterly delicious served hot or warm, but it is not good cold, nor will it reheat well. Adapted from The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book
TWO-TIER LEMON PUDDING
This is a good hot pudding, simple and quick to make, that has been all but forgotten. It separates into two parts on baking: a solid cakey top, with a lemon sauce lying underneath the surface. I like to serve it with fresh raspberries and thick cream.
15g unsalted butter
55g caster sugar
2 eggs, separated
275ml milk
juice of 1 lemon
2 heaped tablespoons flour
Cream butter and sugar. Beat yolks and add to creamed mixture. Add milk, lemon juice, and flour. Add stiffly beaten whites and put in buttered [1.2 litre] dish. Put dish in a bigger one [or a roasting tin] containing hot water and cook until nicely brown for about 45 minutes in a moderate oven [190°C/gas 5]. This is enough for about 3 [or 4] people. Mrs Arthur James
PAIN PERDU WITH RAISIN SAUCE
Pain perdu was originally a French pudding which became popular in England, where it was sometimes known as ‘eggy bread’. This is a more elegant version, such as might have been served at a lunch party, with a hot raisin sauce.
275ml milk
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar, or caster sugar and ½ vanilla pod
6 large slices of stale white bread, crusts removed
2 eggs, beaten
55g butter
HOT RAISIN SAUCE
4 tablespoons seedless raisins
2 tablespoons sugar
15g butter
150ml water
1 tablespoon brandy
4 tablespoons double cream
Have the sauce made in advance. Put the raisins in a small pan with the sugar, butter and 150ml of water. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, until the raisins have swelled and become soft. Stand, covered, at the back of the stove while you make the pudding.
Heat the milk with the vanilla sugar. (If you don’t have vanilla sugar, use ordinary caster sugar with half a vanilla pod to flavour the milk.) Bring slowly to boiling point, reduce the heat and cook gently until the sugar has melted, then leave to cool. (If using a vanilla pod, remove it once the milk has cooled completely.) Cut each slice of bread in four, and lay in a shallow dish. Pour over the milk, turning the pieces of bread over to absorb the milk without allowing them to become too soft. Beat the eggs and dip each slice in them. Heat the butter in a broad frying pan and fry the bread on both sides, until golden. Lay on a serving dish and sprinkle with caster sugar. Reheat the sauce, adding the brandy and cream, and serve in a sauceboat, with the pain perdu. Alternatively, you may omit the raisin sauce and simply serve it with a bowl of lightly whipped cream. Serves 6. AB
PARADISE PUDDING
This is an early variant of the well-known summer pudding. It was served in its dish, with a layer of lightly whipped cream spread over the top, but I prefer to turn it out and serve the cream separately. When soft fruit is plentiful, I cook a second lot and spoon it around the pudding before serving. My favourite fruit combination is raspberries, blueberries and redcurrants.
680g soft fruit: mixed berries and currants
2 tablespoons caster sugar
8–10 thick slices of dry white bread, crusts removed
450ml milk
GARNISH (OPTIONAL), TO BE MADE ON 2ND DAY
340g soft fruit (as above)
2 tablespoons caster sugar
Start 1 day in advance. Cook the fruit very lightly indeed: put the berries in a large bowl beside the stove. Put the sugar in a heavy pan with 4 tablespoons of water; heat slowly until the sugar has melted. Then put in the blackcurrants, if used, and cook gently for 2 minutes. Then add the redcurrants and blueberries. Cook for another 2 minutes, then pour the contents of the pan, still simmering, over the berries in their bowl. (Raspberries, blueberries and blackberries are best; strawberries are not ideal, being too watery. If used, they are best added raw, after the rest of the fruit has cooled.)
When the fruit has cooled to room temperature make a layer of it in the bottom of a bowl. Cut pieces of bread to fit the bowl, then dip each one in milk and press gently. Then lay them over the fruit. Continue to make alternate layers of fruit and bread in this way, until the dish is full. Finish with a layer of bread cut to fit exactly, so the fruit is completely covered. Cover with foil and a small plate, and lay a 680g weight on the plate. Stand overnight in the refrigerator. Next day, if adding a fruit garnish, cook the second lot of fruit exactly as you did the first lot the previous day. Leave it to cool, then shortly before serving unmould the pudding on to a shallow dish and spoon the extra fruit around it. Serve with a jug of thick cream, or a bowl of lightly whipped cream. Serves 6–8. Adapted from Lady Sysonby’s Cook Book
TOFFEE PUDDING
This is the best of all the hot, rich English puddings, perfect for a weekend lunch party on a winter day.
120g unsalted butter
120g light brown demerara sugar
225g golden syrup
275ml milk
fingers of (white) bread, 1 day old
Put the butter, demerara sugar and syrup into a frying pan, stir until melted over slow heat, then boil more rapidly until golden brown, stirring continuously. Bring the milk up to boiling point. Arrange the fingers of bread in a large dish, pour over the milk. Lift out the fingers at once and put them into the toffee sauce to coat them well. Pile them up in a fireproof dish, and if necessary pour over a little extra toffee sauce. Serve with whipped cream. [Serves 6.] The Constance Spry Cookery Book, by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume
CREAM OF RICE (AS MADE AT THE BATH CLUB)
A cold rice pudding, set almost solid by the addition of a small quantity of gelatine, was popular with men, who seemed to prefer it to the softer creamier version which was sometimes served.
825ml milk
120g pudding rice
2 tablespoons caster sugar
7g gelatine, or ½ a packet
1 egg yolk, beaten
3 tablespoons lightly whipped cream
Bring the milk to the boil and shake in the rice. Bring back to the boil and cook for 20 minutes, half covered. Add the sugar and cook for another 20 minutes, then turn into a basin, keeping back about 4 tablespoons of the hot milk. Pour this into a cup and dissolve the gelatine in it. Once melted, stir it into the rice, mixing well. Then stir in the beaten egg yolk and leave to cool. When it has reached room temperature, fold in the whipped cream and turn into a serving dish. Chill for a few hours, or overnight. Serve very cold, with a dish of lightly cooked fruit still slightly warm or at room temperature. Cream may be served as well, if you like. Serves 6. A useful dish in that it keeps well in the fridge, may be prepared well in advance, and is quite sustaining. Adapted from The Perfect Hostess, by Rose Henniker Heaton
RICE MERINGUE
This is based on a recipe in Minnie Lady Hindlip’s Cookery Book, but I have substituted a tart purée of apples for the layer of jam in the original.
180g pudding rice
825ml milk
1 x 5cm strip of lemon peel
55g vanilla sugar, or caster sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons double cream
APPLE PURÉE
3 Bramley cooking apples, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
MERINGUE
3 egg whites
70g caster sugar
Put the rice in a pan with the milk and lemon peel. Bring to the boil and cook slowly, half covered, until the rice is tender and all the milk has been absorbed: about 25 minutes. Then remove the lemon peel and leave to cool. Then stir in the sugar, and the egg yolks beaten with the cream. Cook the sliced apples with 3 tablespoons of sugar and 6 tablespoons of water until soft, then push them through a medium food mill and leave to cool.
Spread half the rice in the bottom of a buttered fireproof dish – a soufflé dish does well – and spread the apple purée over it. Cover with the rest of the rice. Beat the egg whites until they become stiff, then add most of the sugar bit by bit. Fold in the last spoonful by hand, and pile on top of the rice. Bake for 30 minutes at 140°C/gas 1, until lightly set and golden brown. This dish is good at any temperature; hot, warm, cool, or straight from the fridge. Serves 4–6. Adapted from Minnie Lady Hindlip’s Cookery Book
TÊTE DE NÈGRE
This was a popular pudding in the 1930s, now rarely seen. The combination of the crisp chocolate shell with the creamy rice within is very good indeed.
85g long-grain rice
450ml milk
3 egg yolks
55g vanilla sugar
275ml double cream
CHOCOLATE SAUCE
85g plain chocolate
55g unsalted butter
Drop the rice into boiling water and cook for 10 minutes; drain well. Heat 275ml of milk, shake in the drained rice, cook for another 10 minutes, then drain again.
Make a custard by beating the egg yolks with the vanilla sugar. Then heat the remaining 175ml of milk until almost boiling and pour on to the egg yolks, beating well. Stand over a pan of simmering water and continue to stir for 6–8 minutes, until it has thickened slightly, just enough to coat the back of the spoon. Stir the hot custard into the cooked rice, and leave to cool. Then stir in 2 tablespoons of cream and turn into a round pudding basin rinsed out with cold water, which it fills nicely. (About 450ml.) Chill for several hours, or overnight.
Some hours later, make the sauce. Grate the chocolate into a bowl standing over a pan of simmering water. Add the butter cut in small bits, and 1 tablespoon of hot water. Once the chocolate has melted, beat well. Unmould the rice pudding on to a flat dish and pour the hot chocolate sauce over it so that it is completely covered. The sauce will set to a hard shell immediately on contact with the cold rice. Chill again before serving, or stand in a cool larder.
Just before serving, whip the remaining cream and pile on top, like a turban. Serves 4–5. Adapted from Personal Choice, by Ambrose Heath
LADY ST JUST’S RASPBERRY AND REDCURRANT COMPOTE
This is an exquisite dish, both in flavour and in appearance. I cook the currant purée for a couple of minutes, just long enough to sweeten it.
450g raspberries
225g redcurrants
45–55g caster sugar
Press but do not pulp some raspberries. [Put them under a 1.5kg weight for 1 hour.] Put them into a glass bowl [reserving 55g] and cover with some of the redcurrants [again reserving 55g]. Continue with layers [4 in all] of pressed raspberries and whole redcurrants until the dish is nearly full. Sugar each layer [with 1 tablespoon of caster sugar]. Make a purée of the remaining raspberries and redcurrants. [Heat 4 tablespoons of water with 4 tablespoons of sugar in a heavy pan until the sugar has melted, then add the currants and cook gently for 2 minutes. Pour them, still simmering, over the reserved raspberries in a bowl and leave to cool. Then spread over the surface of the dish.] Put in the refrigerator for several hours [or overnight]. Serves 4. English Country House Cooking, by Fortune Stanley
SLICED PEACHES IN PLUM JUICE
An unusual fruit dish, elegant and delicious, yet quickly made. I add eau-de-vie de framboise, when I have it, instead of kirsch, to the plum juice before serving.
140g sugar
5 tablespoons water
6 large red (ripe) plums
4 perfectly ripe peaches, white flesh for preference
1 tablespoon kirsch, or eau-de-vie de framboise
Make a syrup of the sugar and 5 tablespoons of water. When thick pour it over the plums in a saucepan, place on the fire, and cook gently until the plums burst and the syrup becomes red. Strain the juice of the plums and put part [half] of the plums through a sieve [or medium food mill] and add to the juice. Place this juice on ice to chill. [Add spirits at this point if you prefer not to hand it round at table.] Peel and slice the peaches, which should be very ripe, pour the plum juice over, and serve with a bottle of kirsch [or eau-de-vie] separately, to be added to the fruit as desired. Serves 4. [This looks pretty served in individual glass bowls, or in one large one.] Vogue’s Cookery Book, edited by Hilda Powell
PEKIN DUST
This excellent dessert is an old favourite in my family, but the name of this version is new to me. The cream may be omitted if preferred, or served separately.
6 medium oranges
caster sugar (optional)
120g loaf (or granulated) sugar
150ml water
150–275ml double cream
Peel the oranges and slice them, removing all skin and pips and taking care to lose none of the juice. Mix the juice with a little caster sugar to taste [I leave it unsweetened], adding a little more juice if necessary, and pour over the oranges.
Put the loaf [or granulated] sugar in a saucepan, add the water and boil quickly till [light golden] brown, being careful not to let it get too dark. Pour it out on to a tin to let it get cold and set. When it is hard, crush it coarsely with a rolling-pin and shake it all over the fruit. Whip the cream and pile it on top. [Serves 6.] When the Cook Is Away, by Catherine Ives
COMPOTE OF ORANGES WITH ORANGE JELLY
An orange jelly was a favourite with children and grown-ups alike. This one is particularly good, served with a compote of sliced oranges in a light orange syrup.
JELLY
9 oranges
1 lemon
120g granulated sugar
15g gelatine (1 packet)
COMPOTE
6 oranges
30g granulated sugar
Make the jelly a day in advance. Pare the rind of 1 orange; squeeze the juice of all 9, and the lemon. Heat the sugar with 4 tablespoons of water until it boils, and the sugar has melted, then pour it over the rind and leave to cool. Dissolve the gelatine in 4 tablespoons of hot water, then add to the fruit juices, with the sugar syrup. Mix well, then pour through a strainer into a shallow bowl. Chill overnight.
Next day, squeeze the juice of 2 oranges into a bowl. Dissolve the sugar in 2 tablespoons of water, then add to the juice and leave to cool. Peel the remaining 4 oranges, removing all the white pith, and cut in fairly thick slices. Arrange them overlapping in a shallow round dish and pour the syrup over them. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving, with the jelly in a separate bowl. Serves 6. (The jelly will probably be very soft. If firm, it may be roughly chopped with the edge of a palette knife, then turned back into the clean bowl.) Adapted from Kitchen Essays, by Lady Jekyll
RED WINE JELLY
This was a popular dessert in England in Stuart times, but was later forgotten. It survived in the United States, however, and from there was reintroduced to England in the 1920s.
120g caster sugar
20g gelatine (1½ packets)
275ml good red wine
4 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
275ml double cream, lightly whipped
Bring 275ml of water to the boil, add the sugar and stir until it has melted. Remove from the heat, cool slightly, then shake in the gelatine. When this also has melted, add the wine, brandy and fruit juices. Mix well, then pour into a 720ml ring mould through a strainer. Cool, then chill overnight, or for several hours, in the refrigerator. Turn out on to a flat dish to serve, filling the centre with lightly whipped cream. Serves 4. AB
PLUM CROUTONS
This uncomplicated dish is based on a recipe in Mrs Leyel’s classic, The Gentle Art of Cookery. It must be made with plums ripe enough to eat.
4 slices of dry white bread, cut 1cm thick
30g unsalted butter
4 large ripe plums, or 6 medium ones
30g caster sugar
Cut the bread in neat rectangles, removing the crusts. Butter on both sides and lay them on a baking sheet. Cut the plums in half and remove the stones. Do this over the bread so that the juice that runs out is not wasted. Lay 2 or 3 plum halves on each piece of bread. Sprinkle them thickly with sugar and dot each plum half with a tiny bit of butter. Bake for 45 minutes at 170°C/gas 3, sprinkling them once or twice with the rest of the sugar during the baking. Take out of the oven and cool for 10–15 minutes before serving, on a flat dish, with a jug of cream. Serves 4. Adapted from The Gentle Art of Cookery, by Mrs C. F. Leyel and Miss Olga Hartley
FLOATING ISLAND
This is one of the few old-fashioned puddings to have remained popular, for it is still sometimes seen today in the restaurants of grand hotels like Claridge’s. Nowadays, a thin stream of caramel is often trickled over the mound of meringue, which is also rather delicious.
MERINGUE
4 egg whites
6 tablespoons vanilla sugar, or caster sugar
CUSTARD SAUCE
450ml milk
½ vanilla pod
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons vanilla sugar or caster sugar
CARAMEL (OPTIONAL)
120g granulated sugar
If using caramel, make this first. Put the granulated sugar in a heavy pan with 4 tablespoons of water and heat slowly. Boil steadily, watching constantly, until the sugar melts and starts to caramelize. When it has turned pale golden, remove from the heat and pour it into a wetted mould or fireproof dish. (This may be either a tin charlotte mould, or a fireproof glass or china bowl holding about 825ml.) Turn the mould quickly as you pour in the caramel so that the sides are evenly coated. Set aside to cool.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, then add 3 tablespoons of vanilla (or caster) sugar, little by little, as you continue to beat. Finally fold in the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, then turn into the caramel-lined mould and bake for 20 minutes at 170°C/gas 3.
Make the custard sauce while it bakes. Heat the milk with the vanilla pod in a small pan. Bring slowly to the boil, then remove from the heat, cover, and stand for 20–30 minutes. Then remove the pod and reheat the milk slowly. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl, adding the 3 tablespoons of vanilla (or caster) sugar. When the milk boils, pour it on to the egg yolks, continuing to beat. Then stand the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the water does not touch the base of the bowl, and stir constantly until it has thickened very slightly, just enough to coat the back of a spoon. This may take 7 or 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stand in a sink half full of very cold water, stirring now and then as it cools to prevent a skin forming.
When both meringue and sauce have cooled, chill them for 2–3 hours in the refrigerator. Shortly before serving, turn out the meringue by running a sharp knife round the inside edge of the mould. Pour the custard sauce around it. Serves 6. (If you prefer the old-fashioned version without the caramel, simply leave it out, and oil the mould lightly with sunflower or almond oil.) AB
PRUNE WHIP
This is like a simple soufflé, delicious served hot, with a bowl of whipped cream flavoured with brandy.
225g prunes
275ml cold (Indian) tea
55g caster sugar
3 egg whites
GARNISH
275ml double cream
1 tablespoon brandy
Stew the prunes [which have been soaked for a few hours in cold tea] until the stones come out easily. Crush [by chopping, then pushing through a food mill], add the sugar and well-beaten egg whites; [spoon into a soufflé dish and] place in a pan of warm water and bake in a moderate oven [25 minutes at 180°C/gas 4]. Serve with whipped cream flavoured with brandy. [First whip the cream, then fold in the brandy little by little. Serves 4.] Caviare to Candy, by Mrs Philip Martineau
BOMBE FAVORITE
This is known as cream bomb in my daughter-in-law’s family, where it is made with undiluted whipped cream mixed with broken meringue. This is how it was always made before the war, but during the food restrictions an egg custard often replaced some of the cream. I prefer it made this way, for the other is very rich indeed. It was usually served with a raspberry sauce, or with stewed fruit. I like it with a garnish of very lightly cooked mixed berries.
275ml double cream, whipped
140–180g meringues, broken in large pieces
CUSTARD
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
275ml milk
FRUIT GARNISH
2 tablespoons caster sugar
340g blueberries
225g raspberries
Start several hours in advance. Make the custard as usual, adding a little cornflour mixed to a paste with 3 tablespoons of water to the egg yolks, to assist the thickening. Cool quickly in a sink half full of cold water, stirring often to prevent a skin forming. When it has cooled almost to room temperature, whip the cream and fold into the custard. Fold in the pieces of meringue, trying to avoid breaking them up too much. Add as many as are needed to make a fairly stiff mixture that will hold its shape. Turn into a bowl and freeze for 2 hours.
While it is freezing, make the fruit garnish. Put the sugar in a heavy pan with 2 tablespoons of water. When the sugar has melted, add the blueberries and cook for 2 minutes, then pour them over the raspberries which are standing beside the stove in a bowl. Leave to cool.
Shortly before serving, turn out the ‘bombe’ on to a shallow dish and pour the fruit compote around it. Serves 5–6. Very popular with children.
Alternatively, make a fruit sauce with 450g raspberries (fresh or frozen), puréed in a food processor and rubbed through a coarse sieve or food mill to hold back the pips. Sweeten to taste, and pour around the iced pudding. Kate Boxer
RASPBERRY ICE
This excellent dish is based on one prepared by Mrs Woodman, the Mildmays’ cook, for a dinner party at their house in Berkeley Square. In the original version, which I have simplified, the ice was served on a base of sponge cake, with a dish of fresh raspberries handed separately, together with cream, and cigarette wafers. Raspberry makes the best of all ice creams, for the acidity of the fruit cuts through the bland mass of cream. The ice is also very good served alone.
ICE CREAM
450g raspberries
1 tablespoon caster sugar
70g granulated sugar
3 egg yolks, beaten
275ml double cream, lightly whipped
MIXED BERRY SAUCE (OPTIONAL)
225g raspberries
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon eau-de-vie de framboise, or kirsch
225g strawberries, cut in quarters
Purée the raspberries in a food processor, then rub through a sieve, or push through a fine food mill; add the caster sugar. Put the granulated sugar in a small pan with 120ml of water and heat slowly. When the sugar has melted, increase the heat and boil rapidly until it will form a thread between finger and thumb. Then take it off the heat and leave for a moment to cool, then pour it on to the beaten egg yolks, beating constantly with a wire whisk until the mixture is thick and foamy. Set aside to cool, then mix with the raspberry purée and fold in the lightly whipped cream. Freeze as usual. Makes just over 570ml, or 570g.
While it is freezing, make the sauce. Simply purée the raspberries in a food processor and rub through a coarse sieve, or fine food mill. Add the sugar, and a drop of eau-de-vie de framboise, or kirsch, if you have it. Then mix with the strawberries which you have cut in quarters, and turn into a shallow bowl. Serve with the ice cream, and a plate of home-made sponge fingers (see page 205). Serves 6; the ice alone serves 4. AB
CARAMEL ICE CREAM
This recipe comes from Joyce Molyneux, chef/proprietor of the Carved Angel in Dartmouth. Joyce is wholly English, despite her name, and this is just the sort of ice cream that was being made before the war, cranked by hand in wooden pails packed with ice and rock salt, in the English country houses. Joyce Molyneux is an inspired cook, and this ice cream cannot be bettered. Made with plain sugar instead of muscovado, it is simply a superlative vanilla ice cream.
1 vanilla pod
3 egg yolks
120g light brown muscovado sugar (or caster sugar)
275ml milk
150ml double cream
Slit the vanilla pod down its length. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Pour the milk into a pan and add the vanilla pod. Bring slowly to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour on to the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir for about 5 minutes, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil. Stand the bowl in iced water to cool quickly. Remove the vanilla pod.
When cool, add the double cream and mix well. Churn or beat by hand as it freezes. Move the ice cream from the freezer to the fridge about 15 minutes before serving. Serves 4–6. The Carved Angel Cookery Book, by Joyce Molyneux
To make brown bread ice cream, an old English favourite, first make toasted breadcrumbs as follows. Lay 85g of soft brown breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 150°C/gas 2 for 30–40 minutes, until light golden brown. Turn on to a plate to cool. Then make vanilla ice cream as above, using vanilla or caster sugar instead of muscovado, and fold in the breadcrumbs when it is two-thirds frozen. Continue to freeze until thick. Serves 4–6. AB
ICE CREAM OF ROSES
One of Mrs Leyel’s enchanting recipes, a timely reminder that English food could be exotic as well as homely. I have substituted milk for half the cream to make it less rich, more in tune with current tastes.
275ml milk
275ml single cream
30–45g fresh rose petals, preferably old-fashioned roses
3 egg yolks
4 tablespoons caster sugar
a few drops of cochineal (optional)
Boil 570ml of cream [or milk and cream mixed], and put into it when it boils two handfuls of fresh rose petals, and leave them for two hours, well covered. Then pass this through a sieve [or strain it], and mix [or make into a custard] with the well-beaten yolks of eggs, and sugar to taste. Add a little cochineal [optional], and put it on the fire, stirring all the time, but do not let it boil on any account. [Beat the egg yolks with the sugar, then pour on the boiling milk and cream, after straining. Stir over a pan of simmering water for 6–8 minutes, or until it has very slightly thickened, then cool quickly in a sink half full of cold water. Freeze as usual. Makes approx. 570ml.] The Gentle Art of Cookery, by Mrs C. F. Leyel and Miss Olga Hartley
RHUBARB SORBET
This is an unusual sorbet, delicious in flavour and a lovely shade of pink. It is best made with early (forced) rhubarb which does not need peeling, as the flavour is more delicate and the skin gives it its colour. This could very well be used as a sorbet halfway through a long meal; in this case use less sugar.
680g forced rhubarb, cut in chunks
2 dessert apples, or 1 Bramley, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
180g sugar
juice of 1 orange
Put the rhubarb and apple in a pan with the sugar and add enough water to come barely level with the contents of the pan, about 275ml. Cook gently until both rhubarb and apples are soft, then drain off the juice into another pan and boil up until it is reduced by about one-third; this will take about 5 minutes. Leave to cool. Later, put the cooked fruit in a food processor with the orange juice and the cooled syrup. Process until blended, then freeze as usual. Serves 6–8. Jane Longman, in Vogue