I hadn’t heard of Dolbury Pudding before.
I think the link to boeuf en croute is probably significant. A established French dish renamed to honour Wellington after his defeat of the French Army. Many French chefs had made their way to Britain during the French Revolution, after their aristocratic employers were executed during the Terror. So there were ready made experts here. It’s the beginning of the period when French cuisine was held supreme in the UK, at least amongst the middle and upper classes, lasting at least till WW2 and, probably, into the late 1950s. It was only after the effects of post WW2 austerity and food rationing started to wane that we recaptured control of our own cuisine. That said, Beef Wellington is a lovely thing to eat when it’s done properly.
I’ve never cooked one - I simply don’t have the skill to risk a failure with such an expensive piece of meat. Now, the Guardian article asks what else do you cook enclosed by pastry. Look no further than a Cornish pasty or a cheese and onion pie.
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We are making one tonight. I remember we had one for NYE 2004, and I don’t think we have made it since then.
We use puff pastry. I printed out 2 other recipes, including American Chef Tyler Florence’a recipe. Serious Eats has a complicated recipe, too.
It is a fairly common special occasion dish in North America, so you will see American and Canadian chefs making their versions.
Tonight’s dinner is as British as it gets.
Smoked salmon to start. Soda bread.
Roast beef sirloin, roast parsnips, roast spuds, steamed cabbage, Yorkshire pudding, Yorkshire salad, gravy.
Cheese - Wensleydale & Shropshire Red, crackers, chutney (homemade),celery
Nigel Slater’s orange jelly for dessert.
Happy New Year.
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Happy New Year!
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Fabulous. Happy New Year.
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I’m pretty sure that we’ve made Malvern Pudding once. The Hairy Bikers (who are referenced in the BBC link) have grown on me over the years and I’d now suggest they have done more than most to promote our traditional foods (and local producers). I’m sure the appeal of the recipe for us is that we visit the Malvern area periodically - and may be there again in May for the Royal Horticultural Society show. It’s also a good area for farm shops., so I doubt we’ll be coming back empty handed.
By the by, seafood chef, Rick Stein, is off on his travels round the UK with his new TV series (and book) “Rick Stein’s Food Stories”. We’re working our way through the series and, last night, watched the one where he visited Greater Manchester. To watch it, anyone would think that we ate nowt but offal
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We’ve visited Great Malvern several times when DH was involved with a NATO project - there was a military facility near there where his working group met. Such a beautiful place for me to wander around while he was working! We were there the first time on 9/11…it took over a week for us to get a flight back to Boston. We were made to feel welcome while we sheltered there. I remember having my first introduction to Indian food, and I remember mushy peas alongside a plate of fish & chips. I also loved the hearty breakfasts (that would get us through until dinner!). The breakfasts helped us stretch our per diem, but his employer was very generous covering our expenses until we could get back to the States. We went back again a number of years later for another meeting. It’s a lovely place.
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Very sad news.
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A well made Chelsea bun is a thing of joy. In the same vein as a well made Danish.
Unfortunately, you rarely come across either that are well made. But don’t tell Mrs Harters, who has tried to make the former, that I said that. “Ohhh, darling. that’s absolutely delish”, was the way to go.
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I was having a discussion with Butter Tart about Chelsea Buns. The Ontario version are closer to Lardy Cake in that they’re baked in a sugary goo. The Ontario Chelsea buns contain nuts, candied cherries and currants. The dough is close to brioche.
The Ontario Chelsea Buns are sweeter, stickier and good ones have a softer dough than the 5 or 6 Chelsea Buns I’ve ordered in England over the past 20 years.
The English Chelsea Buns I’ve ordered over the years at Fitzbillies in Cambridge UK and elsewhere only contain currants.
Here are 2 recipes from my English Teatime cookbook.
And my Fitzbillies Chelsea Bun from 2018.
Ontario -style Chelsea Buns
I like them all, Lardy Cake, English Chelsea Buns and Canadian Chelsea Buns.
I regularly play on a cruise forum - not least as I’ve recently been on a cruise with Oceania Cruises. Something often recommended on the forum is a breakfast item on their ships which folk called a “sticky bun”. So, I looked for it and the ship does actually call it a “sticky bun”. It looked somewhat similar to a Chelsea Bun. So I got one. Wasnt in the slightest bit “sticky” and, in fact, was quite dry. Not stale but just very dry. Didnt need to try it a second time
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That sounds like a bad sticky bun, if it wasn’t stale. Sticky buns get stale quickly, in my experience. It’s best to enjoy them while they’re still warm from the oven, or within 3 or 4 hours after they were baked.
Believe me, they are special when made right, enjoyed fresh.
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I have my “learn something new every day” box ticked early today. I hadnt realised that “sticky bun” was the actual name for it. Google suggests this is a North American bake of German immigrant origin and were originally called schnecken.
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