Norfolk Plough Pudding for Plough Monday – A traditional English savoury steamed pudding recipe that originates from Norfolk in East Anglia. This is my Norfolk granny’s recipe and she used to serve it every Plough Monday, as well as throughout the winter period.
A Traditional British Recipe
Today’s’ recipe for Norfolk Plough Pudding for Plough Monday is a wonderful old, English recipe that I remember my Norfolk granny making. It’s also a very clever seasonal winter pudding, as it uses pork, (sausage-meat) and bacon, all of which would need to be used up before the start of spring and the warmer weather. My grandmother used to talk about her childhood days living on a small-holding near Swaffham, here they kept rabbits, ducks, geese, chickens and pigs. And my father also remembers visiting his mother’s brother (who kept the small-holding on) during the war (WW11) and being amazed that they still had meat and eggs to eat. My paternal grandmother wasn’t the best cook, unlike my maternal grandmother, but there were some dishes that she cooked really well, and her Norfolk Plough Pudding was one of them.
This is a fabulous dish for mid-winter, a hearty and simple recipe that uses a few key ingredients and which makes the most of the cheaper cuts of meat. It’s a traditional steamed pudding made with suet crust pastry and which is steamed for several hours meaning you can get on with other tasks as it bubbles away in the background. If you cannot source sausage-meat, which sometimes isn’t available all year around (although you should be able to get it in any good butchers), then do as I did last time I made this, and use high meat content sausages that I skinned. I used smoked lardons, but any smoked bacon will do – my grandmother used to cut bits of a big “flitch” of bacon that she used to have hanging in her kitchen, which gave her the opportunity to choose a 60/40 ratio of meat to fat, meaning the filling wasn’t too dry.
I’ve shared the recipe as faithfully as I remember, given that my paternal granny never wrote her recipes down. I see that some recipes suggest adding sugar and stock/water to the filling. I suspect this was due to the fact that bacon and pork used to be saltier than it is now, but I don’t remember Nanny Burns adding any extra water, stock or sugar to her pudding. Chopped fresh sage and a large eye-watering onion are absolutely essential however, as is the suet crust which encases the filling. This really is a cheap and filling family meal, and is just delectable when served with steamed Savoy or Sweetheart cabbage, mashed potatoes and gravy. Although this pudding was traditionally made for Plough Monday, it is a fabulous recipe to serve throughout the colder winter months. Plus, any leftovers are easily reheated in the microwave next day.
More about Plough Monday: Plough Monday falls on the first Monday after Twelfth Night and Epiphany, and used to be an important date in the agricultural calendar. Traditionally it was the day on which farm workers returned to their duties after the Christmas and New Year break. A plough would be taken to the local church to be blessed in order to “speed the plough” and ensure a bountiful harvest later in the year. It was a difficult time of year for ploughman, as the ground was hard and difficult to work on, so the ploughmen would decorate their ploughs and take them around the local villages where they would ask for money from the wealthy landowners. In Norfolk “Molly Dances” were performed by the young plough boys, whilst in the Midlands “Mummers Plays” were put on for entertainment. The Plough Boys were known as Plough Jacks, Plough Bullocks or Plough Stots and they many of them blackened their faces, a tradition still practised today. In the Cambridgeshire Fens, children would collect money before they went to school, which was called “Ploughwitching”.
My Norfolk Granny’s recipe for Plough Pudding is shared below and do let me know if you make it, or what traditional fare you make for Plough Monday. Enjoy the first weekend in the New Year and I’ve shared a few more seasonal recipes below for winter comfort food inspiration! Karen
Norfolk Plough Pudding
Serves | 4 to 6 |
Prep time | 20 minutes |
Cook time | 4 hours |
Total time | 4 hours, 20 minutes |
Allergy | Wheat |
Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish |
Misc | Child Friendly, Serve Hot |
Occasion | Casual Party, Christmas, Formal Party, Halloween |
Region | British |
By author | Karen Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 225g SR flour
- Pinch of salt
- 100g shredded suet (or grated frozen butter)
- 400g sausagemeat (or skinned sausages)
- 100g diced smoked bacon (or smoked lardons)
- 1 large onion (peeled and diced)
- 1 teaspoon freshly chopped sage (or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage)
Note
A traditional English savoury steamed pudding recipe that originates from Norfolk in East Anglia. This is my Norfolk granny's recipe and she used to serve it every Plough Monday, as well as throughout the winter period.
Directions
Seasonal Recipes:
Seville Orange “Merry” Marmalade
High Tea with Ham and Eggs and Marmalade Glazed Ham/Gammon Recipe
Sticky Ginger Marmalade Tea Loaf Recipe
Chocolate Marmalade Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding
Victorian Epiphany Tart Recipe
Farmhouse Chicken & Vegetable Stew with Dumplings Recipe
Savoury Sausage and Sage Baked Apples
January Comfort Food: Chicken and Pearl Barley Stew
Sausage and Apple Casserole in Cider
Twelfth Night, Apples and Wassailing: A Traditional English Wassail Recipe
Amanda says
Happy New Year Karen, I often search your site for recipes as I run a lunch club for the elderly in St Albans.
Thank you so much for sharing all your beautiful, inspiring recipes , I especially like the traditional ones and your explanations of the origins of the recipes.
Best wishes
Amanda
Karen Burns-Booth says
The pleasure is all mine Amanda, I love sharing my recipes and especially the traditional British ones that may be forgotten. Karen
Becky says
Hi Karen, this sounds delicious. If I wanted to make two smaller puddings, how long would I steam it for? Really looking forward to trying this.
Best wishes
Becky
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Becky,
I think between 2 and a half hours and 3 hours. In 1lb (450g) pudding basins.
Hope that helps,
Karen
Pom Pom says
Hi Karen! Oh, that looks very tasty! I didn’t know about Plough Monday. Interesting!
It’s nice to meet you!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi there!
Lovely to e-meet you too and I’m glad you have enjoyed my article and recipe today.
Karen
Janice says
This looks like a great recipe for winter. Comments are fine in this post, but not showing for me in the Giveaway post.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Janice, it’s a super winter warmer of a recipe!
Jane Baker says
This looks lovely for the chilly weather here in Corfu. May need to tweak a little as our village sausage is quite spicy- I might add a little minced pork to tone it down a bit.
What time would you recommend for pressure cooking ?
Karen Burns-Booth says
HI Jane, I haven’t cooked this in a pressure cooker but estimate it will be about 45 minutes maybe, based on beef stews that I make in mine.
Jane Baker says
Hi Karen. Have just finished eating and this pudding is so filling and satisfying. I think that my pudding basin is a bit oversized so another 10 minutes would have made it perfect. My husband had seconds, most unusual, so it must have been good.
Thank you
Karen Burns-Booth says
That is brilliant news Jane, and I am so pleased you all like it!
Sandra Milligan says
Just making the bitter bean and chorizo ,,,it’s a miserable day here in Cheshire,, but I’m sure this recipe will make it better ,.looking forward to making your plough pudding later it looks delicious ,,, thanks Sandra
Karen Burns-Booth says
That’s great Sandra, did you make the plough pudding in the end? Karen 🙂
shivangi says
Amazing recipe gonna bake it for my boyfriend
Karen Burns-Booth says
Did you make this for your boyfriend?Hope he enjoyed it! Karen
Julie says
Well, we might have missed Plough Monday, but it was perfect for a dull old Sautday in March! Lovely pudding, easy recipe to halve for just the two of us. Thank you! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Karen Burns-Booth says
I am so pleased you enjoyed this traditional British recipe Julie, thanks for popping by to let me know too! Karen
Seshu guntur says
Very nice and well-explained with steps and images. My mom loves to eat this type of variety of pudding. Definitely ill surprise on her birthday. Thank you. please keep posting
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks so much! I hope she enjoys it, Karen
Drishti says
Nice article, we learned a lot of things.
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.
Julie says
Not sure if you still answer comments on this pudding Karen but I want to cook this in my Ninja Foodie. Any thoughts on timings? Thanks again.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Julie – I still comment when I have time! Not done that yet, but I think sit the pudding basin on a trivet and pour in water to half way – pressure cook for 40 minutes. Karen
Julie says
You’re a darling for getting back to me so quickly! I was just checking out my weekly meal plan to see what I could do instead as I’ve run out of time to cook it traditionally! I’ll let you know how it goes.
Karen Burns-Booth says
My pleasure – I’m going to try that in my 14-in-1 Ninja Foodi too! Let me know how it turns out – maybe even 45 minutes? Karen
Julie says
Hi Karen. The pudding turned out well! I wasn’t sure if the bottom (lid?) was a bit soggy but as it’s a year since I last made it I can’t remember what it was like cooked traditionally! As there are only two of us, I halved the recipe and pressure cooked in the Ninja 9 in 1 for 40 minutes. Thanks again for your help.
Karen Burns-Booth says
I’m so glad it turned out well Julie
Natacha Ramsay says
We made this on Monday and it was fabulous – I adapted the recipe to cook it in the slow cooker and it was perfect! Many thanks x
Karen Burns-Booth says
That is great to know – THANKS so much for letting me know, Karen
Daniele Bihiet says
I ́m a teacher of English for French-speaking adult students. My next lesson will be about that tradition. Îm sure they will enjoy it. I ́ll try and cook it in the future.
I really like your posts.
Thanks
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you so much – I hope they enjoyed your lesson, 🙂 Karen