Steamed Puddings

Steamed puddings are sometimes forgotten or dismissed as a thing of the past but they are very well worth making. Neither dull nor heavy, as some people think, they can have a wonderful flavour. Traditionally they were cooked by wrapping the pudding mixture in a cloth and boiling it in a preserving pan, but nowadays they are usually made by gently cooking the mixture for a few hours in a basin set in a steamer or saucepan half filled with boiling water.

The pudding mixture is quick to prepare, and, if you have a pressure cooker or a microwave, it won’t take long to cook. For convenience a steamed pudding can be cooked in advance and left in its basin to be reheated in the steamer or saucepan shortly before the meal.