Traditional Spotted Dick with Custard 🍇🍮
Soft, suet-rich sponge speckled with dried fruits and served with a generous puddle of custard – the ultimate classic pudding!
Ingredients:
🥣 Self-raising flour: 250g
🧈 Shredded suet (vegetable or beef): 125g
🍬 Caster sugar: 75g
🍇 Currants or sultanas: 125g
🥛 Whole milk: 150ml, plus a splash if needed
🍋 Lemon zest: 1, finely grated
🧂 Sea salt: a pinch
🍮 Custard: to serve (homemade or good-quality ready-made)
Method:
🍳 Butter a large pudding basin (about 1.2 litres) and set aside.
🥄 In a large bowl, mix the flour, suet, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
🍇 Stir in the currants and lemon zest evenly.
🥛 Gradually add the milk, mixing with a butter knife, until you have a soft but not sticky dough. Add a splash more milk if needed.
🧤 Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Place into the prepared pudding basin and gently press down to fit.
🧻 Cover the basin with a layer of baking paper and foil, pleated in the middle to allow room for expansion, and secure tightly with string.
💧 Place the basin in a large pot and pour in boiling water to come halfway up the sides. Cover with a lid and steam for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, topping up the water if needed.
🍮 Once cooked, carefully turn out onto a serving plate and pour over lashings of warm custard.
Serving Information:
⏱ Prep Time: 20 minutes
🔥 Steaming Time: 2 hours
🕰 Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
🍴 Servings: 6–8 hearty portions
⚡ Calories: ~380 per portion (plus custard)
Tips:
🧤 Be sure to pleat the baking paper and foil – it stops the pudding from bursting during steaming!
🍊 Fancy a twist? Swap the lemon zest for orange zest for a slightly sweeter note.
🧊 Leftover spotted dick can be sliced, fried in a little butter, and served with more custard or a scoop of ice cream!