Steamed Apple Spotted Dick

A traditional English pudding with a twist.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 175  g plain flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon mixed spice
• 75  g  shredded vegetable suet
• 50  g light muscovado sugar
• 75  g currants
• 1  small  bramley apple, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1  lemon, zest of
• 150  ml full-fat milk

Directions

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, spice and a bit of salt into a large bowl.
2. Stir in the suet, sugar, currants, apple and lemon zest.
3. Add the milk, stirring to form a sticky dough.
4. Spoon the mixture into 6 greased 150-200ml pudding basins, topped with a disc of baking parchment and covered tightly with foil.
5. Place in a large saucepan or deep roasting tin and add enough boiling water to come three quarters of the way up the tin.
6. Cook for 2 hours, keeping the water on a gentle simmer and topping up occasionally with more boiling water.
7. Carefully lift the basins out of the pan and remove the foil and paper.
8. Turn out of the moulds and serve topped with a drizzle of golden syrup, custard or ice cream if you like (though the last choice is not as English).
9. You can also do this in one large 1.2 litre pudding basin. Just be sure to butter it, spoon in the mixture and cover with pleated baking paper, followed by a layer of foil.
10. Tie with string and steam for 2-1/2 hours.
11. Goes well with a dessert wine or a late harvest.