Leek Pudding

Now I do not know if the leek pudding is more a Northumberland thing or a Cumbria thing. But not knowing is a bit like calling a Geordie a Mackem and vice versa, you just do not do it. Now there will be loads of people who will read that and not understand it but if you do then I am sorry for what I am about to say. But I think Leek Pudding is more of a Cumbrian thing, I am sorry, I do not know. Now if you are wandering why I am in the slightest bit bother then you do not know the culture of the area and the very serous business of leek growing.  Now I have seen may kinds of lee pudding from what could be best described as a sort of dumpling to ones that have a load of bacon in them. All have been very good, but this is how I make it.

You will need

225g/8oz self-rising flour

A good pinch of salt

A good pinch of fresh ground black pepper

100g/4oz Beef suet

1tbsp whole grain mustard

Some cold water

500g/1lb chopped leeks

Melted butter

Start by making your dough, sift the flour into a bowl then add the suet, season with salt and pepper and add the whole grain mustard. Lightly mix then add a little cold water at a time until you get smooth dough. You only need about 2 to 4 table spoons of water to make it work but if you do add to much just add some more flour until it is workable.

Take a ball of dough and roll it out, then use the pudding basin to cut a lid for your pudding. Then take a pudding basin and line with the rest of the pastry.

Now l like to melt the butter, as little or as much as you like and toss the leeks in it. Let the butter cool on to the leek then pack the leeks in to the pudding and finally wet the edges of the pastry lid and firmly seal the leeks in.

Tie a clean cloth around the top of the pudding and then seam for about 2 hours until it is cooked. Once it it cooked turn it out and serve it straight away.

Now I do not know if it is traditional but the nicest thing I have ever been served with a leek pudding was Boiled bacon and a sort of mushroom gravy. But also once with steak and kidney gravy, or minced lamb in a gravy and loads of herbs.