According to the charity English Heritage, unless Somebody Does Something, the British Pudding will become extinct in the next 50 years. My immediate reactions were 1 - not in this family, mate - I know children who love puds!
2 - why are you worrying us about steamed puddings during these hot summer months?
The answer to #1 - here are their [dubious] statistics...
62% of British households stated they made puddings once a
month or less [27%] or never [35%].
36% of people named steamed puddings [10%], fruit crumbles [19%]
or pastry-based baked pies or tarts [7%] as their favourite puddings.
17% percent of 18-24 year olds named steamed puddings [4%],
fruit crumbles [10%] or pastry-based baked pies or tarts [3%] as their
favourite puddings. 45% of respondents over 55 named steamed puddings [11%],
fruit crumbles [27%] or pastry-based baked pies or tarts [7%] as their
favourite puddings.
838 people eat homemade traditional puddings at home, in
comparison to 1405 people saying they ate ice cream at home. Ice cream is
therefore eaten 68% more than homemade traditional puddings. Bad maths, and what happens to those of us who eat BOTH? or put i/c on their pies and crumbles?
The answer to #2 is - EH are about to launch "The English Heritage Baking Book" in a couple of weeks time. Cynical old me thinks they are 'scare-mongering' to get grannies to buy the book as gifts for their fruit&yogurt eating daughters-in-law.
Even though we do frequently have fruit and/or yogurt as dessert, I regularly serve up baked, home made puddings, like rice pudding [Rosie loves it] sponge puddings, fruit pies and crumbles. Luz made an excellent blackberry cobbler on Monday. Bob likes almost all puds [except lemon meringue pie] Any leftover cake is often turned into a hot pud, with the addition of fruit, custard etc. On Saturday I said "Well done, Jess, you have eaten all your first course" she replied "And is there pudding, Grandma?" It was a hot day, so I'd prepared fresh fruits, sponge fingers and ice cream for a DIY Sundae. But often I give them something&custard. EH name a few puddings which have already 'died the death' namely
Twelfth Night Cake - a fruity Tudor post Xmas pud. If your portion contained The Bean, you got to be Lord of Misrule for the day. It survived the Reformation, but was supplanted by our modern Christmas Cake [and the bean replaced by a silver 6d in the festive pud]
Cabinet Pudding a steamed sponge with glacé fruits and custard. Also called Newcastle or Chancellor's Pudding. In the 1970s this was regularly on the menu at The Lamb in Norwich, I always chose I if Dad took me there for lunch. I must make it for Bob sometime*
Soul Cake a spiced roundel of flour, butter, sugar, spices and currants. Dating back to 1511 or maybe earlier, these were given to poor people and children who went from house to house singing and reciting prayers at Hallowtide [the days surrounding All Saints/All Souls Days, Oct 31/ Nov 1st] A more wholesome Trick or Treat reward than a bag of Haribo...
Anglo Saxon cake honey, oats, butter and dried fruit, mixed and cooked over an open fire. Sounds like fruit flapjacks to me.
I checked out my older cookbooks and found lots of puddings I'd forgotten about. I think many modern women can't hang around the kitchen all day topping up the boiling water round the steamed Pudding. I do make puds, but avail myself of the modern technologies.
Microwaving sponge mixtures, happily leaving things unattended in the slocooker where they don't boil dry, using my pressure cooker, and air fryer...batch baking and freezing to eat later.
I shall share some favourite pudding recipes in another post.
Do you still eat puddings?
