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sussex pond pudding
Victoria Haneveer

Sussex Pond Pudding Recipe

If you want a tasty, moist pudding, this one is perfect. It is flavored with lemon and you can cook it on the stove. This is a wonderful English dessert that's boiled on the stove rather than being baked in the oven. The original Sussex pond pudding dates back about 350 years and you only need a few ingredients to make it: flour, butter, suet, milk, sugar, and lemons. As the pudding bakes, the outside becomes solid while the inside turns into a thick, rich juice which runs out when you cut into the pudding, hence the name Sussex pond pudding.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: English
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
 

  • 2 unwaxed lemons
  • 8¾ oz (250g) self-rising flour, plus more for dusting
  • 3½ oz (100g) butter, plus more for greasing
  • 3½ oz (100g) vegetable suet
  • 5 fl oz (150ml) whole milk
  • 3 ½ oz (100g) light brown sugar
  • 2 oz (60g) currants (optional)

Method
 

  1. Use a skewer to prick the lemons all over.
  2. Finely dice the butter and put it back in the fridge.
  3. Mix the suet into the flour, then add the milk.
  4. Knead until you have a dough.
  5. Divide it into 2 balls, one using ⅓ of the mixture and the other using ⅔ of the mixture.
  6. Sprinkle flour over a clean worktop and roll out the bigger ball.
  7. Use it to line the bottom and sides of a greased 1½ quart (1½ litre) pudding basin.
  8. Add half the sugar and half the chopped butter pieces.
  9. Add the currants if using.
  10. Put the whole lemons on top.
  11. Now add the remaining butter and sugar.
  12. Roll out the other dough ball and use it to top the pudding.
  13. Brush the edges with water and press to seal.
  14. Wrap the pudding in one large piece of baking paper.
  15. Tie under the basin rim with kitchen string to hold it down.
  16. Make a loose 'handle' over the top of the pudding using the string, then cut and tie.
  17. Trim off excess baking paper.
  18. Put the basin in a pan.
  19. Pour hot water into the pan about ⅔ of the way up.
  20. Cover and simmer for 3½ hours.
  21. You might need to top up the water during cooking.
  22. Let the pudding rest for 10 minutes.
  23. Turn it out on to a serving dish.
  24. Serve the Sussex pond pudding hot in wedges, ensuring each person gets some of the lemon.

Notes

  • This recipe is very easy to make and takes about 3½ hours to cook. All you need to do is check it every half an hour and top up the water whenever necessary.