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Norfolk plough pudding

Norfolk plough pudding on pewter plate with slice taken out. Background of medieval depiction of ploughing.

Plough Monday, the first Monday after Ephiphany, marked the time when agricultural labourers would return to work after Christmas and begin to plough the fields ready for sowing. In England on this day, a plough would be decorated and paraded through the towns or villages and money collected for the parish. In East Anglia the plough was accompanied by mummers and Molly Dancers (local farm labourers dressed in black with faces covered in soot) who would dance for money and plough up the gardens of those who refused to ‘pay up’. In Norfolk a traditional meat pudding would be eaten.

Equipment

  • 900ml pudding basin
  • Weighing scales
  • Frying pan
  • 2 large mixing bowls
  • Rolling pin
  • Baking paper
  • Kitchen foil
  • String
  • Large lidded saucepan

Preparation method

  • Grease the pudding basin with butter and place a buttered disc of baking paper in the bottom of the basin. This is to ensure the top of your pudding won’t stick when you turn it out.
  • Heat a little oil in the frying pan and sauté the lardons and onion on a moderate heat until beginning to brown. Take off the heat and set aside.
  • Mix the flour, salt and suet together in a large mixing bowl and add sufficient cold water to make a soft but not sticky dough.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and roll out to about 1cm thick.
  • Use two thirds of the dough to line the pudding basin, leaving the remaining dough for the lid.
  • Place the sausage meat, bacon, onion and sage in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to massage everything together.
  • Pack the meat mixture into the lined pudding basin.
  • Cover with the dough lid, wetting the edge of the pastry and nipping it together to make a tight seal.
  • Make a pleat in a piece of kitchen foil and cover the basin with it ensuring you place the pleat at the centre of the basin. Secure the foil with string tied round the edge of the basin, making sure you create a ‘handle’ with which you can remove the pudding from the hot water.
  • Place the pudding in a large-lidded saucepan and fill with boiling water two thirds up the sides of the pudding basin. Cover the saucepan and bring to the boil.
  • Reduce the heat to a simmer and steam for 4 hours making sure you check the level of the water and top up from the kettle if necessary.
  • Allow to cool slightly before taking the pudding out of the hot water.
  • Remove the covering and turn out onto a serving dish.

Tip: After you have peeled onions or shallots, cut them in half and remove the inner shoots as they can cause indigestion

Georgian

Serves:
8
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Resting time 10 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 225 g self-raising flour
  • Pinch salt
  • 100 g beef or vegetable suet
  • Cold water
  • 400 g sausage meat
  • 100 g smoked lardons
  • 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 tsp fresh sage leaves, chopped

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Norfolk plough pudding
Serving Size
 
122 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
412
Percent of Daily Value*
Fat
 
29
g
45
%
Saturated Fat
 
12
g
75
%
Cholesterol
 
51
mg
17
%
Sodium
 
417
mg
18
%
Potassium
 
160
mg
5
%
Carbohydrates
 
24
g
8
%
Fiber
 
0.3
g
1
%
Sugar
 
1.4
g
2
%
Protein
 
13
g
26
%
Calcium
 
11
mg
1
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Keywords

Sausage meat

Plough Monday

© Dr Caroline Gordon 
2025
Illustrations by Chichi Parish