An old British classic – Suet puddings date back to the 18th Century. Don’t be fooled by the name of the dish though, this is definitely a hearty main course!
Method
Prep the meat mix
Seal the venison and pheasant in a hot oiled pan. Remove once golden brown, and leave aside to cool.
Prepare the vegetable mix
In the same pan, sweat the onion, garlic, thyme, carrot and parsnip until soft, seasoning them with salt, pepper, flour and Demerara sugar.
Just before they soften, add the stout and beef stock and reduce until thick. Remove from the heat and cool.
Combine the mixtures
When the meat and the vegetable mixture are both cold, mix them together in a large bowl.
Prepare the puddings
Line some pudding dishes with pre-made suet pastry and fill with the chilled mix. Top with a Suet circle to seal the pudding.
Cook the pudding
Place the puddings in a large pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the pudding dishes.
Cover with the lid, and bring to a simmer.
Turn the heat to low and let the pudding steam for 2-2.5 hours. Top up the boiling water as necessary during this time to ensure the pan doesn’t boil dry.
Serve with some green vegetables and mashed potatoes for a hearty winter dinner.