Suet recipes
A speciality of England, this is cooking fat made from beef or mutton that is obtained from the area around the kidney and loins. Widely used until the mid-twentieth century, it is less popular now. It is prized for giving food a distinctive lightness, and a rich but unobtrusive flavour.
This modern version of the retro jam roly-poly is cooked in the oven instead of steamed.
More suet recipes
Buyer's guide
Rarely available in its natural form, suet is mixed with flour and sold in supermarkets in cream-coloured blocks. A vegetarian suet made from palm oil and rice flour is also available, but it gives slightly different results.
Storage
Keep refrigerated, and use within a few days of purchase.
Preparation
Suet is used in traditional boiled, steamed or baked savoury and sweet puddings, such as steak and kidney pudding, spotted dick and jam roly-poly. It is also used to make soft-textured pastry, dumplings, haggis, mincemeat, Christmas pudding, and a rendered fat called tallow. Grate coarsely before use.
