Mutton Pudding is a traditional British recipe, based on Eliza Acton's recipe of 1845, for her classic boiled pudding of mutton, mutton kidney and water cooked in a suet crust that is the fore-runner of the modern steak and kidney pudding. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Mutton Pudding.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Eliza Acton's 1845 volume Modern Cookery, the first classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
MUTTON PUDDING.
Mutton freed perfectly from fat, and mixed with two or three sliced kidneys, makes an excellent pudding. The meat may be sprinkled with fine herbs as it is laid into the crust. This will require rather less boiling than the preceding puddings, but it is made in precisely the same way.
Modern Redaction
This is the fore-runner of the modern Steak and Kidney pudding though here mutton and mutton kidneys were used. When Eliza Acton was writing the modern Steak and Kidney pudding had not been invented yet, but it is only a short step from this to that dish.
Ingredients:
500g plain flour
175g shredded beef suet
1/2 tsp salt
250ml cold water
600g tender mutton, cubed
2 mutton kidneys, cored and sliced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
120ml water
Method:
Stir together the flour, suet and salt in a bowl. Add enough of the water to bring these ingredients together as a dough. Turn about 2/3 of the dough onto a floured work surface and roll out until about 15mm thick. Use this to line the base and sides of 1l pudding basin.
Season the mutton pieces and kidney slices with salt and black pepper then mix them together before placing in the pudding bowl then pour over the water. Roll the remaining dough until large enough to cover the top of the pudding. Crimp the two pieces of dough together then cover the top of pudding with a piece of buttered paper in which a fold has been placed to allow for expansion. Tie this securely to the top of the bowl then cover everything with a double layer of kitchen foil.
Sit on a trivet or upturned plate in a large pan. Pour in boiling water until it comes half-way up the side of the pudding basin then place over the heat and continue boiling for 3 1/2 hours, until the pudding is cooked through. Check on the pudding every now and then and top-up the liquid with more boiling water as needed.
When cooked, remove the pudding from the pan and allow to cool a little. Uncover the bowl and remove the lid. Sit a serving plate on top and invert the pudding onto this. Serve hot, accompanied by boiled potatoes, green vegetables and gravy.
