Steam, stodge and so much suet: I made 10 endangered British puddings. Are any actually worth saving?

"Britain's puddings are under threat. According to research from English Heritage, only 2% of British households eat a daily homemade dessert, while a third never bake, boil or steam one at all. Sweet puddings are closely intertwined with British history and it would be a huge shame for them to die out, said the charity's senior curator of history, Dr Andrew Hann. But he went on to suggest that, at the current rate of decline, the British pudding will be extinct in 50 years."

"Leaving aside complex questions about what does and doesn't constitute a British pudding we know an apple crumble is one, and a Calippo isn't we must ask ourselves why we've stopped producing old-fashioned cooked desserts. Do we lack the time, or the skill or both? Have tastes changed? Have certain classic puddings simply faded from Britain's collective memory? I can't answer that last one I'm American."

Research from English Heritage finds only 2% of British households eat a daily homemade dessert and a third never bake, boil or steam one. The charity's senior curator, Dr Andrew Hann, warns that at current rates the British pudding could be extinct in 50 years. Questions include whether time, skill, changing tastes or fading collective memory explain the decline. An American cook attempted ten endangered puddings to test salvageability. Jam roly‑poly (shirt‑sleeve pudding) uses beef suet; suet is kidney fat available in pelleted or vegetable form. The jam roly‑poly dough is basic: self‑raising flour, butter, suet, sugar and milk.

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