The online magazine
dedicated to the
discussion & revival
of British foodways.

NO.72
FALL/WINTER2023

Savory oatmeal pudding

Savory oatmeal pudding goes extremely well with just about any game, meat or poultry. Once a staple in Scotland and the north of England, its popularity has declined to the extent that most people are unaware that it ever existed. Its cause has not been aided by its frequent misdescription as ‘herb pudding.’ Worthy of revival; enough for about six sides.


Oatmeal.jpg

  • ¾ cup oatmeal (see the Notes)
  • ½ cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup breadcrumbs
  • an egg
  • about ½ cup milk
  • a diced onion
  • ½ cup shredded suet (see the Notes)
  • 1 heaped Tablespoon minced fresh herbs of your selection
  • 1 heaped Tablespoon minced parsley
  • salt and pepper
  • about 2 Tablespoons beef dripping, duck or goose fat, lard or, least suitable, neutral oil

 

Preheat the oven to 350°.

  1. Mix everything together but the 2 Tablespoons of fat.
  2. Put the fat in an ovenproof dish or metal pan and let it sizzle, usually in about 5 minutes (you do not want it to burn), then pour the batter into the dish and bake it until then center just sets, usually in about 30 minutes.

 

Notes:

-Steel cut oats would be more traditional but rolled oats work too.

-Atora suet is handy and good, little floured pellets that will not clump. It is widely available in Britain and, except for a vegetarian variant, unavailable in the United States due to the anachronistic fear of the capricious FDA over BSE and other things British, like haggis. Free the fat and pluck.

-All is not lost on the American suet front. You can shred your own; it is easy. If you see no suet ask for it; even supermarkets can find some. The best comes from the region of the kidney. If yours resided elsewhere you may need to trim it of stringy sinew.

-Obviously you want to pair use the 2 Tablespoons of fat from the same animal you are serving if possible, but duck or goose fat are universals, savory puddingwise.

-Mrs. Ayrton’s savory oatmeal pudding another way appears in our archive.