‘The Great British Baking Show’: What is Sussex Pond Pudding?

If there’s one place The Great British Baking Show likes to torture its bakers the most, it’s in the Technical Challenge. And for this week’s episode — “Dessert Week” — judge Prue Leith chose a doozy. The South African-born judge went back to the 1700s and asked the 21st century bakers to make Sussex Pond Pudding. The steamed pastry was a classic of old British baking, but has since fallen sharply out of style. Naturally, it spelled doom for our five remaining bakers.

Now according to the UK’s official Great British Bake Off website, this recipe is supposed to be “easy.” What made it so hard for remaining bakers, then? Well, as they pointed out, Prue not only gave them just enough ingredients for one go as well as extremely pared down instructions. Those handicaps plus the fact that suet is not necessarily a go-to fat for modern day pastries, and remaining bakers Laura Adlington, Peter Sawkings, Dave Friday, Marc Elliott, and Hermine (just Hermine) were in a bind. None of them did particularly well, meaning the actual elimination came squarely down to the episode’s difficult Showstopper Challenge.

But what exactly is Sussex Pond Pudding? And how can you make Sussex Pond Pudding at home? (If you even wanted to…) Here’s what you need to know about this week’s Technical Challenge on The Great British Baking Show…

WHAT IS SUSSEX POND PUDDING? THE SUET PASTRY TECHNICAL CHALLENGE ON THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW “DESSERTS WEEK”?

As the name suggests, Sussex Pond Pudding originated in the southern English county of Sussex. It’s made with suet pastry, filled with a real gloppy mixture of butter and sugar, and then steamed (or even boiled!) for hours. The end result is a decadent treat that creates a pool of creamy sweetness when the crust is punctured. Think chocolate lava cake, but made with suet — the fat that surrounds animal intestines — and not chocolate.

The treat was first recorded in a 1672 book and was a staple of 18th century British cooking. However, it fell out of favor over the years. The good news is that some British chefs are attempting to bring it back for the sake of cultural pride. The better news? Vegetarian suet is now a thing.

WHERE CAN I FIND A SUSSEX POND PUDDING RECIPE?

The most obvious place to find a Sussex Pond Pudding recipe is right at the source. Prue’s own recipe — with full instructions — is available on the UK’s official site for the show.

However if the British-ness of the recipe intimidates you, the queen of American baking, Martha Stewart, has her own version of the recipe on her official site. And yes, she also uses lemons (and American measurements).

DOES SUSSEX POND PUDDING HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE?

No, it does not have anything with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (who still hold those titles despite no longer being working royals). However, I felt insulted by the mess the bakers made of the dish on their behalf as a proud American named Meghan. (I am biased!)

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