Steak and kidney pudding
This traditional steak and kidney pudding is made with a crisp suet pastry. A classic comfort food, it's perfect for drizzly days and chilly evenings.
To make this recipe you'll need a 1.75 litre/3 pint pudding basin.
Ingredients
- 225g/8oz ox kidney
- 700g/1lb 9oz chuck steak, cut into 2½cm/1in pieces
- 2½ tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 10²µ/â…“o³ú parsley, chopped
- 2 thyme sprigs, leaves only
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- hot beef stock
For the suet pastry
- 350g/12oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- 175g/6oz shredded suet
- large pinch salt
- butter, for greasing tin
To serve
- plain boiled potatoes
- steamed Savoy cabbage
Method
Cut the ox kidney into small pieces and snip out the white core with scissors. Put the steak pieces and chopped kidney into a bowl with the flour, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Mix in the onion, parsley, thyme and bay leaves. Set aside for later.
To make the pastry, mix the flour, suet and salt with 225ml/8fl oz cold water to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth.
Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 36cm/14in circle. Cut out a quarter of the circle, set this aside for the lid.
Use the remaining dough to line the base and sides of a lightly buttered 1.75 litre/3 pint pudding basin. Overlap the cut edges slightly and brush with water, pressing together to seal well.
Spoon the meat mixture into the pastry and top with the soy sauce and enough beef stock to come three-quarters of the way up the meat.
Roll the reserved piece of pastry into a circle 1cm/½in larger than the top of the pudding basin. Brush the rim of the pastry with water and press the lid firmly on top. Crimp the edges together to form a tight seal.
Place a piece of baking parchment over a sheet of foil and make a large pleat in the middle, folding both sheets together (this allows the pudding to expand as it cooks). Put the parchment and foil on top of the pudding, foil side up, and secure with string, looping the end of the string over the top of the pudding and tying it to form a handle that will enable you to lift the pudding in and out of the saucepan.
Put the basin in a large pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the basin. Put a lid on the pan and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and let the pudding steam for 4 hours. Top up the boiling water during this time if necessary so the pan doesn’t boil dry.
To serve, uncover the pudding and serve it straight from the basin with some steamed Savoy cabbage and boiled potatoes.
Recipe Tips
For the side of potatoes, choose a slightly waxy variety that won’t break up too much in the water. I like La Ratte, Belle de Fontenay, Charlotte, Pink Fur Apple and Jersey Royals. Allow 900g of potatoes for four people. Rub or scrape off the skins and put them into a large pan of cold, well-salted water (1 teaspoon of salt per 600ml/1 pint of water.) Bring to the boil and simmer for 20–25 minutes until tender, or there is no resistance when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain well and serve immediately.