18^th Century: Hackin Pudding

The ‘hackin’ or ‘hack pudding’ was a pudding made in Cumbria, formerly Cumberland, in the Lake District. The custom was to eat the hackin pudding on Christmas morning and therefore it is very likely that it is the ancestor of Christmas pudding. Like plum pudding, slices of hackin were sometimes ‘fired’ or grilled under a rotating spit of beef or mutton, or baked just at the mouth of the oven and served before or with the meat. The following recipe is from Richard Bradley, <