Canterbury Pudding, Kent
The county of Kent , perhaps because of the rich produce available to it, has a wonderful range of puddings, with variations on apple pie among the best known. It also claims some really stodgy, filler-upper things that we may surmise were fuel for the agricultural labourers, and, when there was such an industry, the Kentish coal miners. Canterbury pudding – or puddings, there is no one definitive recipe – is one of the latter, though the first option below is a rather gentrified one with the inclusion of brandy – maybe for the farmer instead of the labourer?
The lighter version (the term is relative) of this dish first – though it may be a later development of the type given after it. It uses breadcrumbs, self-raising flour (or plain flour and a pinch of baking powder), suet, and sugar in roughly equal proportions, made into a batter with an egg (or two if they are small), a slug of brandy, and the same amount of milk. This is flavoured with the juice and zest of a lemon. It needs to end up as enough pourable batter to fill a pie dish, which will be baked for about an hour – start checking after 45 minutes.
Though still known as Canterbury Pudding, the following is a far sturdier dish, lacking the cushioning effect of breadcrumbs in the previous one. Two ounces of butter are melted and combined over gentle heat with two well-beaten eggs, then two ounces of sugar and two ounces of self-raising flour (or again plain and a pinch of baking powder), all stirred together, this batter flavoured with the zest of a lemon or even half a lemon if needs must. Poured into small moulds or patty-pans then baked for 15 - 20 minutes (check the tops), the resulting puddings cry out for a sharp sauce, or perhaps cream or custard to lift them.
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