A Year of Victorian Puddings

Book excerpt: Originally published in 1862 as Everybody’s Pudding Book, this delightful period cookbook offers delicious, comforting Victorian pudding recipes for the cold dark days of winter as well as the sunny sunshine months. Accompanied by the author’s no-nonsense and often amusing advice on seasonal ingredients and the appropriateness of puddings for certain occasions, this cookbook is as relevant today as it was in the Victorian era. The recipes, organised by month, include tarts, fools, fritters, pies and, of course, steamed puddings of every kind. With favourites such as Bakewell tart and bread and butter pudding, it also offers traditional recipes that have long deserved a revival such as Shrewsbury pudding and Medlar tart. A Year of Victorian Puddings is a complete collection of seasonal, traditional English puddings for every day of the year.