It's a traditional steamed pudding from the British Isles... promise! Served with an Earl Grey infused custard it's a proper family favourite and centre-piece desserts for everyone to help themselves to. Apologies in advance for the smirks... Barry finds the concept of a 'spotted dick' hilarious!
Weigh the flour into a clean bowl and add the suet. Rub the two together to combine.
Stir in the dried fruit and sugar. Add a pinch of salt and mix in the milk until you have a dough ball. Grease the inside of a litre pudding basin with butter and add the dough.
Cover with a circle of greaseproof paper and then a sheet of tin foil. Tie it with a piece of string to keep it sealed if required.
Place a ramekin in the bottom of a deep saucepan with a lid and place the pudding on top. Pour in a glass of water and heat on the stove to steam the pudding for an hour, checking back occasionally to make sure it doesn’t boil dry.
Warm the double cream in a saucepan with the two tea bags. Leave the cream to one side to infuse for 10 minutes.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a clean bowl. Heat the cream to boiling again, remove the teabags and pour over the egg yolks as you whisk.
Return the custard to the pan and heat gently, stirring continually until it thickens to a custard. Pour through a fine sieve into a cold bowl to stop the cooking.
Turn the steamed sponge out onto a plate and serve whole at the table with a jog of custard. Serves 6