Clootie Dumpling

Ingredients for  8  Servings

• 225g

  Plain flour, plus 25g for sprinkling
• 1 tsp

  Bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp

  Mixed spice
• 1 tsp

  Ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp

  Ground ginger
• ¼ tsp

  Sea salt
• 175g

  Caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling
• 100g

  Shredded suet
• 100g

  Sultanas
• 75g

  Currants
• 75g

  Chopped stoned dates
• 50g

  Muscatel raisins
• 1

  Apple or carrot, coarsely grated
• 1 tbsp

  Black treacle
• 1

  Medium egg
• 150ml

  Buttermilk
• 225g

  Clotted cream

Approximate Times

• Preparation :

  30 minutes to 1 hour
• Cooking :

  Over 2 hours

Method

1. Mix the black treacle with the egg and some of the buttermilk and mix into the dry ingredients to give a soft mixture with a cake-like dropping consistency.
2. Dip a large piece of muslin, an old pillowcase, a pudding cloth or a clean tea towel into boiling water, remove it and squeeze out the excess water. Lay it out on a surface and sprinkle a 30cm circle in the centre with the 25g of flour and the 1 tbsp of caster sugar. Spoon pudding mixture on top and tie securely with string, leaving a little room for the pudding to expand.
3. Rest a large heatproof trivet or container in the base of a large pan so that the pudding is not in direct contact with the heat. Place the pudding on the trivet/container, knotted side up. Pour in enough water almost to cover the pudding, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for 3-4 hours. Take a peek every now and then and then to check the water level and top it up if necessary.