Recipe of the week: a proper Yorkshire pudding

Whether you view Yorkshire puddings as a Sunday roast dinner staple or simply a vessel for gravy, you can’t deny that a plate is always better off with one on it.

These delicious batter puddings date back to the early 18th century, but few are able to perfect their golden, puffy texture.

This year, to mark National Yorkshire Pudding Day on 6 February, Yorkshireman Shaun Rankin shares the Yorkshire pudding recipe he uses at his Michelin-starred restaurant, Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall in Ripon. “These have never failed me,” Rankin said. “And I’ve never changed the recipe – this is how I learned to do them growing up in Yorkshire and I do think, if it ain't broke…”

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Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 250ml milk
• 250g plain flour
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tbsp beef dripping

Method

• Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the milk.
• Sift the flour into the bowl and whisk well.
• Pour the mix through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
• Scrape the thyme leaves from the stems and then add them to the batter mixture. Stir well, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.
• Remove the batter from the fridge about 30 minutes before you need to use and stir well.
• Preheat the oven to 220C and heat a 24 x 12cm deep Yorkshire pudding tin (or muffin top pan) until very hot.
• Add the beef dripping to the tin and place back in the oven for a further five minutes.
• Pour the Yorkshire pudding mix into the hot fat in the tin. Put back in the oven straight away.
• Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and doubled in size. Then turn down the oven to 120C and cook for a further five minutes.