As it’s summer, and this week we also celebrated Sussex Day, for some reason my mind turned to puddings. As luck would have it, I own a copy of MK Samuelson’s Sussex Recipe Book which includes a Sussex Plum Duff recipe and a Sussex Pudding recipe (details shared below) from 1813! And of course, I have a longstanding love affair with the truly Sussex pudding, our very own Sussex Pond Pudding aka Lemon Bomb.
Sussex Summer Pudding
But whilst all of the above feel very “Sussexy”, none of them feel very summery and so with this in mind, and for those of us who are hoping to entertain over the coming weeks, here is our own quick and easy Sussex version of a Summer Pudding. It serves 8.
Ingredients
- 750 g – mixed summer fruit. Fresh raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, red currants, strawberries, and blueberries
- 150 g – golden caster sugar
- 1 loaf – sliced white bread
- 2 tbsp – Sussex gin
- cream or ice cream to serve
You’ll also need a 1 ½ lt pudding bowl.
Method
- Remove any stalks. Place the fruit in a pan, add the sugar, and stir gently to mix together.
- Place the pan over a moderate heat and bring gently to the boil.
- Simmer for about 2-3 mins before removing from the heat. You can use frozen fruit. However, you will need at least 250 g more and you will need to simmer it for 5 to 10 mins. You will also need to drain off a little of the excess fluid but don’t waste this because it makes a fabulous sauce that you just need to thicken a little or serve as is with vanilla ice cream!
- To add a little fun to this pud, next add some gin. You can use any gin you like of course, and you might want to experiment with different gin liquors but to make this a Sussex dish, we added a dash of Sussex gin. I’ve tried all sorts but my favourite is the orange Hyke gin.
- Meanwhile, remove the crusts from the bread slices and line the bowl with the bread. Make sure there are no gaps in your lining.
- Spoon the fruit and its juices into the bowl and cover the top with bread.
- Cover the bowl with a plate or saucer and place a small weight on it, like a bag of pasta and then place the bowl in the fridge overnight.
- When ready to serve, turn a knife round the inside of the bowl and turn out on a plate (which has enough space for any juices).
- Serve with cream or ice cream.
Confession: when using frozen fruit, I have been known to douse the frozen fruit in gin at the start and then add a bit more later. Serve and enjoy with cream or ice cream and enjoy. Happy Sussex Day!
Sussex Pudding
I also promised you M K Samuelson’s 1813 Sussex Pudding recipe and here it is:
“Six ounces suet, 6 oz raisins, 6 oz flour, 14 pint milk. Bake about 1 hour in a tin 8 ins long, 6 1/2 in wide, 2 inc deep.” 19th century chefs were nothing if not succinct. I look forward to hearing how yours turned out!
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