Traditional Sussex Bacon & Onion Pudding with Parsley Sauce
This hearty Sussex classic wraps a savoury bacon and onion filling in soft suet pastry, then steams until light and comforting. It is old-school British cooking at its best: simple ingredients, careful seasoning and patient steaming.
Serve thick slices with buttery greens and plenty of warm parsley sauce for a traditional supper that feels both rustic and special.
Ingredients
- 175 g Shredded Suet beef or vegetable
- 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme leaves picked
- 300 g Streaky Bacon rinds removed, chopped
- 2 large Onions thinly sliced
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard optional
- 200-230 ml Cold Water to bind
- 350 g Self-raising flour plus extra for dusting
- 20 g Flat-leaf Parsley finely chopped
- Sea Salt for sauce, to taste
- 450 ml Whole Milk warmed
- 25 g Plain Flour for sauce
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper freshly ground
- 25 g Unsalted butter for frying
- 1 tsp Fine Sea Salt for pastry
Method
25m2h 10m2h 35m
- Grease a 1.2 litre pudding basin with butter and set up a steamer or a large lidded pan with a trivet.
- Warm the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the bacon and cook for 4-5 minutes until lightly golden.
- Add the sliced onions and thyme, then cook for 8-10 minutes until softened and sweet. Season with black pepper and set aside to cool slightly.
- Mix the self-raising flour, suet and salt in a large bowl. Stir in enough cold water to make a soft but not sticky dough.
- Cut off one third of the dough for the lid. Roll out the larger piece and use it to line the basin, leaving a little overhang at the rim.
- Spoon in the bacon and onion filling, pressing gently to remove air pockets.
- Roll out the remaining dough for the lid, dampen the rim with water and seal well. Cover with a pleated sheet of buttered baking paper and a sheet of foil, then tie securely with string.
- Steam the pudding for 2 hours, checking occasionally and topping up the pan with boiling water as needed.
- For the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan, stir in the plain flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in warm milk until smooth.
- Simmer the sauce gently for 4-5 minutes until thickened, then stir in parsley and mustard if using. Season to taste.
- Leave the pudding to rest for 10 minutes, then turn out, slice and serve hot with the parsley sauce.
Notes
Keep the steamer at a gentle simmer throughout so the pudding cooks evenly without becoming heavy.
If the water level drops while steaming, top up with boiling water from the kettle, not cold water.
Rest the pudding for 10 minutes before turning out to help it hold its shape.