Suet Pastry
- Rub some butter around the inside of a 1.1lt/2pt pudding bowl.
- Put the flour and suet into a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- For a sweet pudding add two spoons of sugar, for a savoury pudding, add a pinch of salt.
- Add the milk and stir to mix.
- Using your hands, gather everything together into a smooth dough.
Sweet or Savoury Filled Suet Pudding
- Dust the work surface and pastry with flour.
- Cut off a third of the pastry and reserve this for the lid.
- Roll the larger piece of pastry into a 23cm/9” circle and lift the pastry into the pudding bowl. OR put the pastry into the bowl and using your fingers, press it into the base and up the sides.
- Brush the top edges of the pastry with water.
- Add your filling so that the pudding bowl is three quarters full.
- Roll out the remaining pastry into a circle the diameter of the top of the dish.
- Transfer the pastry circle to the bowl.
- Lift over, press and pinch the pastry around the edges of the bowl to join the circle.
- Brush a piece of parchment or greaseproof paper with butter and place it loosely, butter side down on the pudding.
Cooking the Pudding in a Saucepan
- Cover the pudding bowl with aluminium foil, tucking in well at the outer rim.
- Stand the pudding bowl in the bottom of a large saucepan and add boiling water until it comes halfway up the pudding bowl.
- Put the lid on the saucepan and simmer gently for 2 hours. Lift the lid occasionally and add more boiling water to keep the level halfway up the pudding bowl.
- Carefully remove the pudding from the saucepan.
- Remove the foil and run a warm knife around the inside edge of the basin.
- Put a warm plate on top of the pudding bowl, carefully invert the pudding and let it slide onto the plate.
- Keep warm until serving.
Cooking the Pudding in a Microwave
- Cover the pudding with cling film and cut a hole in the top for steam to escape.
- Put the pudding bowl into the microwave and cook on full power for 7 minutes.
- Leave to stand for 2 minutes.
- Remove the cling film and parchment and run a warm knife around the inside edge of the bowl.
- Put a warm plate on top of the pudding bowl, carefully invert the pudding and let it slide onto the plate.
- Keep warm until serving.
1.1lt/2pt pudding bowl, parchment or greaseproof paper and mixing bowl