Spotted Dick

Ingredients

• 1225g (8 oz) self-raising flour
• 2100g (4 oz) shredded suet (beef or vegetable)
• 375g (3 oz) caster sugar
• 4150g (5 oz) currants or raisins (the "spots")
• 5Zest of 1 lemon
• 6150ml (⅔ cup) whole milk (approximately)
• 7Pinch of salt
• 8For the custard: 500ml (2 cups) whole milk
• 94 egg yolks
• 1050g (2 oz) caster sugar
• 111 tbsp cornflour
• 121 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. 1Mix together the flour, suet, sugar, currants, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in enough milk to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
2. 2Shape the dough into a cylinder about 18cm (7 inches) long. Wrap loosely in buttered greaseproof paper (buttered side facing in), leaving room to expand. Wrap again in foil, twisting the ends to seal.
3. 3Steam for 1.5–2 hours: place the pudding on a trivet or upturned plate in a large saucepan. Pour boiling water to halfway up the pudding. Cover with a tight lid and steam, topping up water as needed.
4. 4Meanwhile, make the custard: Heat the milk in a saucepan until just simmering. Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour, and vanilla in a bowl. Pour the hot milk gradually into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
5. 5Return the custard to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until thickened. Do not boil.
6. 6When the pudding is cooked, remove from the steamer. Unwrap carefully and slice to serve.
7. 7Serve warm slices with lashings of hot custard. Tip: For a baked version, place the wrapped pudding in a roasting tin with water and bake at 160°C for about 1 hour 20 minutes.