Did you know that today is British Pudding Day? It’s celebrated on November 9 every year. I must admit, I’d never heard of it. But now that I do know, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate those puddings which YOU can enjoy whilst walking the Peak Way. Apparently, British Pudding Day “celebrates the origins of British pudding and how the rich culinary tradition behind baking puddings is still alive and a favourite of many all over the world”. So, let’s celebrate two of our own.
Bakewell Pudding
When you arrive in Bakewell, you won’t help but notice that there are quite a few shops and cafes offering Bakewell Pudding, arguably the most famous of desserts made in the Peak District. Despite the popular story that it was created by accident by a cook at the town’s Rutland Arms (formerly White Horse Inn), some claim that its origin can be traced to cookery books from around 1830. The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop has the fascinating story of the birth and the subsequent evolution of the Bakewell Pudding on its website. Apparently, the pudding came about due to a misunderstanding by the Inn’s mistress, Mrs. Greaves, and her cook. Fulfilling an order for a strawberry tart, the cook had mistakenly spread an egg mixture on top of a layer of jam, instead of stirring it into the pastry. Then around 1860, Mrs Wilson heard about this baking error and acquired the recipe so that she could start selling the Bakewell Puddings herself. Their Bakewell Puddings are still made by hand from the secret recipe today. And it seems that Mrs Wilson’s eye for a business opportunity paid off because today they are despatched to countries across the world. Of course, you can also enjoy them in the lovely town of Bakewell too, where you can even join a ‘Pudding Making Experience’ BUT they won’t reveal everything about the secret recipe!
You might also like to try the Bakewell Tart, which apparently was developed as a variant of the Pudding later in the 20th century and looks very different. Naturally, when I was walking the Peak Way, I picked up both of them to try.
Buxton Pudding
The recipe for the original Buxton Pudding dates back to Victorian times. Now though, you can enjoy a slightly updated version of it, created by the Buxton Pudding Company. The ingredients are a sweet pastry base, hand-made raspberry preserve and a buttery, crumble/crispy topping. They’ve, they’ve taken the original recipe, which apparently was bland, and they’ve made a few tweaks to create their tasty dessert called ‘The Original Buxton Pudding’. It is served hot with vanilla custard, fresh cream or ice cream.
So where can you get one whilst you’re walking the Peak Way? Well stockists include the shop at Chatsworth and The Village Stores at Hartington. But when I tried to buy one in Hartington, they were out of stock. So, I made a visit to the Buxton Pudding Emporium in Buxton (also on the Peak Way) and here I met the very helpful shop assistant, Ella, who told me all about it, and advised me to have it with cold custard as apparently this brings out the flavour.
So, whilst at the Buxton Pudding Emporium, I had a look around. It’s crammed with good quality produce, much of it locally sourced and not available in supermarkets (everything from flavoured rapeseed oils to luxury ice creams and coffee). So really interesting to browse.
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