Spotted Dick

Spotted dick is the great British steamed pudding — a soft, suet sponge studded with currants or raisins (the ‘spots’), boiled or steamed until light and tender, and served warm with a waterfall of hot custard. Its saucy name has delighted schoolchildren and puzzled visitors for generations, and it has been a British nursery and Sunday favorite since the 19th century. Simple, comforting, and unapologetically old-fashioned, it is the taste of a proper British winter.

Why this recipe works: The pudding is a suet dough — flour, suet (or a butter substitute), sugar, and dried fruit — bound with milk into a soft dough, shaped into a log, and steamed for two hours. The gentle, moist heat of steaming produces a sponge that is light, tender, and evenly cooked, quite unlike a baked pudding. The result is a dense-but-soft crumb studded with sweet, sticky fruit, made for custard.

Key ingredients

• Self-rising flour and suet: the classic base — shredded vegetable suet is a fine substitute.
• Currants or raisins: the ‘spots.’
• Sugar and lemon zest: the flavor.
• Milk: the binder.
• Custard: the mandatory partner.

Tips for the perfect spotted dick

Mix the dough lightly — overworking makes it tough. Shape into a log, wrap in buttered parchment or foil with room to expand, and steam over simmering water for about 2 hours, topping up the water as needed. It is done when the pudding is risen, firm, and a skewer comes out clean. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve warm with a generous amount of hot custard — the custard is not optional.

Variations and storage

Add a spoonful of golden syrup to the center, or use sultanas and candied peel. Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge and steam again beautifully for 20 minutes — a second steaming restores the pudding’s softness.

British / Irish recipes →