# Rasher Pudding or Roly Poly?



## Dawnsey

Hello, new here.  I'm American but my sweetheart is English, and I'd love to make him a Rasher Pudding like his mum used to make.  Are there any English folks out there who could share a recipe?  Also, it's hard to get suet here, so suggestions for a suitable substitution would be appreciated.  Thanks!


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## kitchenelf

Hi Dawnsey,

There are some English folks here who I'm sure will be glad to help.  Just keep checking back!!  Glad to have you here!


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## Catseye

Hi, Dawnsey, welcome.  I found this one, don't know if it's the one you're looking for.  I expect you could substitute lard for the suet, but others may be able to advise you better on that point.

Suffolk Raisin Roly-Poly(English)

3 oz Flour
            Pinch of salt
       1 ts Baking powder
       4 oz Suet
      12 oz Raisins, stoned
       1 ds Sugar

   Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together, then add the suet
   and sufficient cold water to form a soft dough. Turn out on to a
   lightly floured surface and roll into an oblong about 1/4 inch
   thick. Sprinkle the raisins and the sugar on to the dough, then roll
   up like a Swiss Roll, damping the ends and pressing firmly together
   to seal. Sprinkle with a little flour, then wrap lightly in
   greaseproof paper and roll up in a lightly floured pudding cloth,
   tying the ends tightly. Place in a saucepan of boiling water and
   boil for 3 hours, topping up the water as necessary. Serve cut into
   thick slices, and sprinkled with a little granulated sugar and
   accompanied by custard. Serves 4 to 6.

I hope this is the one!


Cats


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## Ishbel

Hello

When I lived in Hampshire, Rasher pudding was the name they used for bacon roly-poly pudding, which was made with a suet pastry which was then steamed.   It is usually served with a parsley sauce.  It's a bit 'stodgy' for today's tastes, but is great on a cold day!

Suet Pastry
4 oz self raising Flour 
2 oz shredded beef suet 
pinch of salt 
squeeze of lemon juice in 3 tablespoons chilled water 
1 teaspoon lemon zest  (optional)

Sift flour and salt (add lemon rind if using)  and suet.  
Mix to a firm dough with lemon juice and cold water. Roll into a ball and leave to chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

6-8 rashers of good smoked bacon  
1 large onion, sliced and chopped fairly fine Onion (s) 
1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs 
Salt and pepper, to taste

Trim the bacon and cut into  pieces (although I have been served the dish with whole rashers).   Add the onions and mix well together.  Add the dried herbs, salt and pepper to taste.  Place bacon bits/onion mixture onto pastry, allowing approximately half an inch clear around the edges. 

Moisten the edges and roll pastry into a sausage shape, and pinch edges together.  

Wrap in grease-proof paper and roll in a clean muslin cloth, secure the well wrapped parcel with string.  

Put into a pan, cover with boiling water and allow to cook for approx 2 hours.  

When cooked, remove from the paper/cloth and cut into rings to serve.  Make a parsley sauce and serve with plain boiled potatoes and a green veg.


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## Dawnsey

Thanks Catseye & Ishbel!   I think Ishbel's recipe is the one I was searching for.  Wish me luck! 

Dawn


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## UncleSirBobbyRobson

Well Roly Poly to me is a jam roly poly... but I suppose you could make it with sultanas

300 gms flour (self raising or plain)
150 gms suet 
jam
sugar 

METHOD
1. mix in water with the flour and shredded suet... get until it holds together like bread
2. rest the mixture in the fridge
3. put plenty of flour on surface - roll out into a rectangle
4. cut off the edges
5. spoon jam onto the pastry. like thick jam on toast. leave space around the edges - about an inch.
6. sprinkle water on the outside then roll - but do not roll. Lift and roll as the jam will be squeezed out.
7. sprinkle with water liberally and put 2-3 desertspoons of sugar on the outside
8. heat in oven for 40 minutes. Cover in foil when brown. then bake for a further 40 minutes.
9. sprinkle a bit more sugar on

The basic mixture is two parts flour to one part suet. The most essential part is that in rolling the roly poly you do not roll instead you lift and fold. Otherwise the jam will roll out


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## karen20

*Rasher Pudding*

Rasher pudding is an old English Romany recipe. To make traditional rasher pudding, which can be eaten hot or cold. Is justself raising flour, suet, bacon rashers, onion, tomato. We don't use scales you have to judge with practice. Mix flour and suet with cold water to make a slight sticky dough, mix using a knife no hands, chill roll out and just chuck on bacon, onion, tomatoes slices, plenty of pepper, roll. Wrap in gorse, steam for an hour.  It was a cheap recipe for making and giving out in fields as they worked. Some people mention lemon juice, Na not traditional, Romany's would not mess around, or afford it. This recipe passed down my family for generations, like joey grey, baked rice pudding, bread pudding, steak pudding etc


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## Elizabeth245

Thanks! I checked out lots of recipes, but this is the one I settled on.


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## Mad Cook

Dawnsey said:


> Hello, new here.  I'm American but my sweetheart is English, and I'd love to make him a Rasher Pudding like his mum used to make.  Are there any English folks out there who could share a recipe?  Also, it's hard to get suet here, so suggestions for a suitable substitution would be appreciated.  Thanks!


I'm English (the Cheshire/Lancashire/Derbyshire borders and I've never heard of "rasher pudding" but I googled and found a recipe. I see what you mean.

I can't vouch for how good a recipe it is but here you are:

New Forest Rasher Pudding



Serves four people



Ingredients

Water
Plain Flour
Suet or Lard
Onion (diced)
Bacon rashers
Chopped tomatoes (optional)
Chopped potatoes (optional)

Instructions

Mix pastry using water, flour and fat
Roll out on a floured surface
Place bacon, onion and if using tomatoes and potatoes onto pastry
Carefully roll up like a Swiss roll and place in a pudding cloth
Secure corners with string
Place in boiling water in a large saucepan and cook for two hours
After 2 hours take Rasher Pudding out of water and let it drain for five minutes, then to serve cut into slices.


There are other versions made in a pudding basin but I doubt you have one of those to hand.

As for suet - do you have a good relationship with a traditional butcher? You may have to order it if it isn't available in packages in supermarkets. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suet - It's raw fat of beef or mutton, especially the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys, which sounds gross but it makes a very good steamed pudding - both sweet and savoury. 

I've heard of people using grated frozen butter or hard margarine as a suet substitution but have no experience of doing this. Atora Shredded Suet is available on Amazon UK but it's expensive but it does mean you don't have all the hassle of preparing the suet when it comes from the butcher in a lump.. If you go down that route use the standard one, not the vegetable variety as the latter (in my opinion) is not very nice.


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## GotGarlic

Mad Cook said:


> I'm English (the Cheshire/Lancashire/Derbyshire borders and I've never heard of "rasher pudding" but I googled and found a recipe. I see what you mean.
> 
> I can't vouch for how good a recipe it is but here you are:



Dawnsey asked this question in 2004, but I'm sure she appreciates your response


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## blissful

I thought this was an interesting thing to try. Either the version that was baked or the one that is boiled or steamed in water. In both cases there were no pictures so I went in search of some.

This link has a finished picture at the bottom of a bacon rasher or roly poly, that is baked. https://thepiepatch.wordpress.com/2014/02/27/bacon-and-onion-roly-poly-serves-4/






I did search out boiled or steamed pudding, and to me, it doesn't look near as edible as the baked one. Something about the browned top is so much more attractive.
I've eaten my share of good tasting unattractive food. I have no problem with that, but convincing DH to try something like it, is near impossible.


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## Mad Cook

GotGarlic said:


> Dawnsey asked this question in 2004, but I'm sure she appreciates your response


Oops, sorry. I didn't notice


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