Sweet Norfolk Dumplings

Dumplings whether savoury or sweet are basic British traditiional fayre. Norfolk is a county in eastern England, it is extreemly flat and well known for growing wheat.

Ingredients
4oz plain flour
4o self-raising flour
salt
4oz suet
5floz water
2 Bramley cooking apples

Method
1 Sift the flours and salt together into a large bowl.
2 Add the suet, mix well.
3 Make a well in the centre.
4 Add most of the water.
5 Using a wooden spoon bring the flours into the liquid, to form a soft dough that is not sticky (add extra water if neccessary).
6 Sprinkle a little flour onto a work surface.
7 Knead the pastry to get rid of any cracks.
8 Peel, core and quarter the apple.
9 Chop the apple into bite sized chunks.
10 Pull off tiny pieces of pastry.
11 Chop the apple into bite size chunks.
12 Wrap the pastry around a piece of cooking apple.
13 Make sure they are well sealed.

Cooking method 1
Drop into salted boiling water and cook for 20 minutes or until well risen and cooked through.

Serve with syrup or treacle and custard.

Cooking method 2
Place the dumplings on a greased baking tray, bake in a hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until well risen and cooked through.

Serve as before.

Apple and Cheese Cake

This is a traditional autumnal recipe from the county of Gloucestershire in England. It makes good use of locally produced food with the Bramley apples and the local double Gloucester cheese, although it was originally made with single Gloucester cheese.

Ingredients
120g butter
180g caster sugar
2 medium size beaten eggs
225 cored and grated cooking apples (save the juice and the peel)
120 grated double Gloucester cheese
60g flaked almonds
450g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 heaped teaspoons baking powder

Method
1 Grease a 2lb loaf tin with vegetable oil.
2 Line the tin with greaseproof paper.
3 Re-grease the loaf tin.
4 Place the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
5 Using a wooden spoon beat the ingredients together until they are light and fluffy.
6 Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
7 Stir in the apples, cheese and almonds thoroughly.
8 Place a sieve over the mixing bowl.
9 Spoon the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into the sieve.
10 Shake the flour into the mixing bowl.
11 Using a metal spoon fold the flour and raising agents into the cake mixture.
12 Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the tin.
13 Smooth the top.
14 Bake the cake in the oven at 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4 for about 1 hour or until golden brown and a skewer comes out cleanly of the middle of the cake.
15 Transfer the cake in the tin and cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes.
16 Then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight tin.

Orchard Pork

An economical dish from England for the harvest time workers.

Ingredients
3lb piece of pork spare ribs
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
salt
pepper
3 unpeeled, cored and quartered eating apples
3 firm unpeeled, cored and quartered pears
5fl oz cider
stock or water
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cider
2 tablespoons redcurrant jelly

Method
1 Wash and dry the pork spareribs thoroughly.
2 Brush or smear the pork with oil.
3 Sprinkle over a little salt.
4 Place the ribs onto a roasting rack sitting in a roasting pan.
5 Place in the oven at 190 degrees centigrade/gas mark 5 for 30 minutes.
6 Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4 for 60 minutes.
7 Remove the pork from the oven.
8 Remove the rack from the baking tin.
9 Drain off the excess fat and keep to 1 side.
10 Place the fruit pieces onto the base of the baking tray.
11 Place the pork over the fruits.
12 Return to the oven for 30 minutes or until the fruit and the pork are cooked thoroughly.
13 Cover the pork and allow to rest.
14 Spoon the fruits onto a carving plate, cover with aluminium foil and keep warm.
15 Drain the liquid from the roasting pan into a pint measure.
16 Make upto 1/2 pint with stock or water.
17 Take 3 tablespoons of pork fat and pour into a saucepan.
18 Add the flour and stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
19 Cook out, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
20 Add the redcurrant jelly and mix thoroughly.
21 Add the cider slowly, stirring constantly.
22 Bring the gravy to the boil.
23 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for a minute.
24 Gradually add the stock a little at a time.
25 Bring back to the boil.
26 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the required consistency is reached.
27 Check for seasoning and adjust.
28 Place the pork on top of the fruit.

Serve with potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Serves 4 people

Sweet Harvest Pudding

This is a traditional Sweet Harvest time pudding from the County of Devon in England.

Ingredients
6 – 8 slices of buttered medium bread
1lb peeled, cored and sliced apples
2oz shredded suet
3oz soft brown sugar
2oz raisins
grated rind 1 lemon
2 beaten medium eggs
½ pint milk

Method
1 Butter a pie dish thoroughly.
2 Line the pie dish with some of the buttered bread (including the sides).
3 In a large mixing bowl mix together the apples, suet, sugar, raisins and lemon rind.
4 Fill the pie dish with the fruit mixture.
5 Cover the filling with the remainder of the buttered bread.
6 Beat the eggs and milk together.
7 Pour the liquid over the bread, do not throw away any excess.
8 Cover and leave to stand for at least 2 hours or overnight.
9 Uncover the pudding.
10 Pour over any left over egg mixture.
11 Bake at 180 degrees centigrade/gas 4 for about 1 hour, or until just set.

Best served warm with traditional clotted cream.

Serves 4

Apple Tansy

In the 14th century in England Tansy was a savoury dish which was traditionally eaten at harvest time and consisted of eggs, herbs and tansy juice. By the 17th century it had developed into a sweet pudding with the tansy herb left out of the recipe.

Ingredients
1lb cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
4oz butter
2fl oz water
4oz granulated sugar
4 beaten medium eggs
1 dessert spoon orange juice
4oz fresh white breadcrumbs

Method
1 Place the butter into a large saucepan and melt.
2 Add the water. apples and sugar.
3 Simmer, covered until soft.
4 Leave to cool completely.
5 Add the beaten eggs and beat well.
6 Add the orange juice and beat well.
7 Add half of the breadcrumbs and beat well.
8 Place the saucepan back on the hob.
9 Stir constantly until the mixture thickens.
10 The mixture will thicken, add more breadcrumbs until the mixture reaches the required consistency.

Serve hot with fresh cream.

Serves 4 People

Notes
Gooseberries can be used instead of apples, but they must be topped and tailed.

Harvest Pudding

This is an old recipe from the countryside of England, it was originally made to celebrate the start of harvesting.

Ingredients

Base
1lb peeled, cored and diced cooking apples
1oz butter
1oz granulated sugar
grated rind of 1 lemon

Filling
1oz butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1oz flour
15fl oz milk
1 medium sized beaten egg

Topping
2oz demerara sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1oz buter in small dice

Method

Base
1 Place the butter into a medium saucepan and melt.
2 Add the apples, allow to soften.
3 Add the sugar and continue to cook until soft, remove from the heat.
4 Add the grated lemon rind and stir in well.
5 Pour all the contents into a buttered ovenproof dish (about 1 1/2 pints).

Filling
1 Place the butter into a saucepan and melt.
2 Stir in the flour.
3 Cook, stirring constantly over a low to medium heat for 2 minutes.
4 Start adding the milk a tablespoon at a time, mix in thoroughly after each addition until all of the milk is used up.
5 Bring the sauce to the boil, stirring constantly.
6 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
7 Remove from the heat.
8 Add the sugar and a quarter of the beaten egg, stirring constantly until the egg is blended in.
9 Add 1/3 of the egg and blend in.
10 Add half of the remaining egg and blend in.
11 Add the remiaing egg and blend in.
12 Return the saucepan to the heat and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
13 Pour over the apple mixture.

Topping
1 In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
2 Using a teaspoon scatter the mixture over the sauce evenly.
3 Place the small dices of butter all over the sugar and cinnamon.
4 Place under a pre-heated grill until the sugar caramelises.

Serve hot or cold.

Serves 4 to 6 people

Clanger

This traditional recipe is both savoury and sweet (the savoury filling is at one end of the clanger and the sweet at the other), which was made for farm labourers especially at harvest time. It comes from the county of Befordshire in England.

Ingredients

Savoury Filling
1 large finely chopped onion
1 heaped teaspoon of mixed herbs
8oz minced pork
1 peeled, cored and diced cooking apple
1 - 2 tablespoons oil
salt
pepper

Sweet Filling
2 peeled, cored and diced eating apples
grated rind and juice of 1 large orange
1oz granulated sugar
4oz any dried fruit

Pastry
12oz suet pastry

Method

Savoury Filling
1 Heat a frying pan on the hob.
2 Pour in 1 tablespoon of oil.
3 Add the onions and cook until softened.
4 Add the minced pork and herbs, cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
5 Add the apple and continue to cook until the meat is browned.
6 Season to taste.
7 Remove the frying pan from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Sweet Filling
1 In a large mixing bowl, mix together all of the ingredients and set aside.

To Make Up
1 Roll the pastry out into 2 x 10" circles on a floured surface.
2 Cut 2 x 10" strips from the left over pastry.
3 Brush the outside of the circle of pastry with water.
4 Brush a line down the centre of the pastry.
5 Attach a strip of pastry down the centre of the pastry.
6 Put half of the cold pork filling into 1 half of each pastry circle.
7 Put half of the apple filling into the other half of the pastry circle.
8 Fold the pastry over the two fillings and seal the edges thoroughly.
9 Sprinkle 2 muslin cloths or clean tea towels with flour.
10 Place a clanger on each of them in the centre.
11 Tie up each clanger with string, leaving air space for expansion.
12 Place the clangers into a saucepan of boiling water and place on the lid.
13 Boil for 1 hour.
14 Remove the clangers from the saucepan and place on a baking tray.
15 Place in a cool oven and allow the clanger to dry.

Serves 2 people.

Sussex Blanket Pudding

A traditional savoury or sweet pudding from the county of Sussex in England.

Ingredients
12 oz flour
a little pepper
a little salt
2 large beaten eggs
12 oz suet
8 oz breadcrumbs
a little milk

Fillings (choose one)
savoury
minced liver and bacon with parsley and onion
sausage meat
chopped cold roasted meats

sweet
jam
golden syrup
sweet mincemeat
chopped apples, little dots of butter and granulated sugar to taste
marmalade
chopped mixed peel, dried fruits and granulated sugar

Method
1 Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl.
2 Add the remaining dry ingredients.
3 Mix together well, make a well.
4 Fold in the eggs.
5 Make into a light dough with a little milk if necessary.
6 Roll out onto a floured board with a floured rolling pin.
7 Spread on one of the fillings over the dough leaving a 1 inch gap all around.
8 Dampen the edges with water.
9 Roll up and seal the edge swell.
10 Carefully transfer onto a floured cloth or aluminium foil.
11 Boil for 3 hours.

Serves 6 to 8 people