Spotted Dick

Soak 75 g currants in 30 ml water and leave for 30 minutes to plump up.

In a large bowl, combine 150 g flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 30 g brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Add 75 g finely chopped beef suet, the grated zest of 1 lemon, and the currants along with their soaking water.

Pour in 100 ml milk and quickly mix into a soft, slightly sticky dough; don't overwork it, or the pudding will turn out tough.

Shape the dough into a thick roll about 15–20 cm long. Wrap it in parchment paper with a loose pleat on top, tie the ends with kitchen string, then wrap in foil.

Bring the water in a steamer to a gentle simmer, place the wrapped roll on the rack, cover with a lid, and steam for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Top up with boiling water as needed so it doesn't boil dry.

For the custard, heat 300 ml milk almost to a boil. Separately, whisk 3 egg yolks, 80 g sugar, 20 g cornstarch, and 5 ml vanilla extract. Whisking constantly, pour in the hot milk in a thin stream, then return the mixture to the saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring, until thickened; do not let it boil.

Let the finished pudding rest for 5 minutes, carefully remove the foil and parchment, and cut it into slices.

Serve Spotted Dick hot with vanilla custard.