Recipe of the week: Clementine Sussex pond pudding by Olivia Potts

Clementine Sussex pond pudding, taken from Butter: A Celebration by Olivia Potts

published 9 January 2023

Lemon is the citrus fruit that normally features in a Sussex pond pudding, but the thin-skinned clementine makes a delightful alternative, says Olivia Potts.

As they steam, the clementines almost candify inside, bathed in the spiced melted butter and sugar sauce, and the pastry is suffused with butter and infused with the fragrant spiced fruit.

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First, generously grease a 600ml pudding basin (approx. 16cm diameter) with butter, and put a full kettle on to boil.
Whisk together the self-raising flour, suet, and salt in a bowl. Add the milk and bring it together into a dough, first with a knife, then, as the mixture becomes more cohesive, with your hands.
Reserve a quarter of the pastry for the lid, and roll out the rest using a floured rolling pin to make a large circle. Ease this into the greased pudding basin and smooth it so it is flush against the side of the basin.
Toss the diced butter, sugar and mixed spice together in a bowl, and place a layer in the bottom of the pastry-lined basin.
Prick the clementines all over with a sharp skewer. Place them in the pudding basin, side by side, and fill the rest of the cavity with the remaining spiced butter and sugar. Roll the reserved pastry into a 16cm circle, for the lid. Wet the edges of the pastry case with a little water, then place the lid on top, pressing gently to seal.
To prepare the pudding basin, place a piece of baking paper on top of a piece of tin foil, and fold both along the middle to create a pleat (this is so when the pudding expands, it doesn’t burst out of the paper). Place these two folded sheets over the top of the pudding basin, centring the pleat. Tie tightly with string. Alternatively, if you have heat-safe clingfilm, you can place a pleated disc of baking paper over the top of the pudding basin, and wrap the whole pudding basin twice-round in heat-safe clingfilm.
To steam, place a clean tea towel in the base of a large saucepan. Fill the pan halfway up with boiling water. Lower the prepared pudding into the pan: the water should come about two-thirds of the way up the pudding basin. Put the pan over a very low heat and cover with a lid. Steam for 3 hours. Keep an eye on the water level, checking every 30 minutes or so: it is dangerous for the pan to boil dry, so top up with boiling water from the kettle, if needed.
To serve, lift the basin carefully from the pan of water, and remove the wrappings and any string. Run a knife around the edge of the basin, being careful not to cut into the pastry. Place a serving plate over the top of the pudding, and swiftly invert.