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.