Dr Mobeus
Rag Pudding
The rag pudding is Oldham’s own, a proper Lancashire working man’s dinner: minced beef sealed inside suet pastry, wrapped up and steamed until the pastry turns soft and dumpling-like and the filling cooks into its own gravy. It costs a fraction of what a pub charges for the same thing, and once the puddings are wrapped they steam themselves while you get on with your day. This is food built for coal fires and long shifts, which is exactly why it still works when the budget is tight. Serve them with mash, peas and gravy and nobody will ask where the rest of the meal went.
Rag Pudding
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the flour, suet and salt with enough cold water to form a soft but not sticky dough. Knead for a minute until smooth, wrap and set aside while you make the filling.
- Brown the mince in a dry pan over a medium-high heat, breaking it up, until no pink remains. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Crumble in the stock cube, add the Worcestershire sauce and season with pepper. Take off the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
- Divide the pastry into 4 and roll each piece into an oval about 20 cm across. Pile a quarter of the filling on one half, leaving a 2 cm border. Wet the border, fold the pastry over and press the edges together firmly, then crimp with a fork.
- Wrap each pudding in a double layer of greased foil, twisting the ends like a boiled sweet wrapper. The foil replaces the traditional cloth, hence the name.
- Steam over a pan of simmering water for 2 to 2 and a half hours, keeping the water topped up so the pan never boils dry.
- Unwrap carefully, there is steam trapped inside. Serve with mash, peas and a jug of gravy.
Tips and Variations
The wrapped puddings keep overnight in the fridge and can be steamed the next day. Season the filling generously, as steaming softens flavours. A pinch of thyme or a spoon of horseradish in the mince makes a nice change. Leftovers reheat well by steaming for 20 minutes, and the pastry stays soft rather than going leathery.
