Duke of Wellington

[Edit] Has changed hands and is now more cosmopolitan

Whenever I am in Southampton I make a point of stopping for a pub lunch at the Duke of Wellington.

Best pubs in Hampshire

Which invariably ends with a typically English pudding

Englsih steamed sponge pudding and cream best pubs Southampton

Steamed sponge pudding, sticky sweet and swimming in fresh cream

Traditional English puddings

Or the Spotted Dick served with custard.

Country puddings

A traditional English steamed sponge pudding on a cold winter’s day.

Traditional Enlish winter steamed sponge puddings in the south of England

A rare treat that is not as easy to find as it should be. Unless you already know about Quantock Steamers. Situated at the base of the Quantock Hills they specialise in making artisan steamed sponge and meat suet puddings.

Steamed sponge puddings in Somerset the south of England

The Quantock Hills in Somerset, consist of heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands and agricultural land. They were England’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and are the perfect setting for this family-run business.

Somerset steamed puddings the south of England

If you have never had the pleasure of sitting down to a steamed syrup sponge pudding you have something to look forward to.

Homemade

It was the homemade cake that first caught my eye at Tierra Kitchen in Lyme Regis.

Homemade cakes Lyme Regis Dorset the South Coast

But that was just the beginning of a long slippery slope. Their puddings and cakes taste as good as they look.

Best puddings in Lyme Regis Dorest on the South Coast

How do you choose between passion fruit poached pear with Turkish delight ice cream and the outrageously tempting vegan and gluten free chocolate and raspberry delice?

Best dessets in the south of England

Offering some of the best desserts in Dorset and southern England, Tierra Kitchen can be found in Lyme Regis in the cultural quarter.

Delicious dessert puddings and cakes Lyme Regis Dorset southern England

Sticky toffee pudding

Sticky toffee pudding is a warm sponge cake made with dates and black treacle, served with toffee sauce. A contemporary classic English dessert.

Created in the 1970s by Francis Coulson and Robert Lee at the Sharrow Bay Hotel on Ullswater near Pooley Bridge, in the Lake District, from a recipe given to them by Patricia Martin.

Traditional Christmas pudding

One of my enduring memories of Christmas, is finding the sixpence inside the brandy drenched Christmas pudding.

Flaming traditional Christmas pudding the south of England

Patiently waiting for the adults after switching off the lights. All the oohing and aahing, as the flaming pudding was brought to the table. I wasn’t particularly interested in the brandy butter either. It was the shiny new sixpence and a years good luck which I was after.

Traditional English Christmas pudding in Devon the south of England

Whereas now that I am a lot older and a lot wiser, it is what makes the difference between one pudding and another that is important. Like the handmade traditional puddings from a tiny artisan bakery in Devon. Figgy’s puddings that are steamed and matured in the traditional way that allows the flavours to mature and develop.

I wonder if they have ever considered popping a shiny new sixpence into the mix?