Sussex Pond Pudding

This traditional English pudding originates from Sussex, a county in the South East of England. It comprises a suet pastry encasing butter, sugar and lemons. This pudding can be steamed or boiled for a few hours, and it dates back to 1672. Although it is high in sugar and fat and has therefore been replaced with ‘healthier’ desserts by the health-conscious, if you really want to treat yourself to an authentic English dessert which dates back about 350 years, go ahead and prepare this Sussex pond pudding, and take a delicious bite of history. This recipes serves 6, or you could stretch it to 8 smaller portions.

There is a version of Sussex pond pudding known as currant pond pudding, and that is popular in both Sussex and Kent. In fact, we have made currants an optional ingredient in the following recipe. Bear in mind using these will make it a currant pond pudding instead. Choose thin-skinned, juicy lemons (preferably unwaxed) for this dessert, and beef suet if you can get it. If not, vegetable shortening or cold butter can be used in its place.

The reason for the name of this dessert comes from the fact that when you cut into the finished pudding, the thick sauce oozes out and pools around the plate, resembling a pond. The lemon skin will be soft and caramelized because of the long cooking time. This is the type of dessert to try after serving a British savoury pie for the main course, and it is especially satisfying during the cooler months.

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This tasty, moist dessert is boiled on the stove rather than being baked in the oven. The original Sussex pond pudding dates back about 350 years and you only need a few ingredients to make it: flour, butter, suet, milk, sugar, and lemons. As the pudding bakes, the outside becomes solid while the inside turns into a thick, rich juice which runs out when you cut into the pudding, hence the name Sussex pond pudding. This recipe is very easy to make and takes about 3½ hours to cook. All you need to do is check it every half an hour and top up the water whenever necessary.