How To Make Steak & Kidney Pudding

Stage 1

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onions, celery (celeriac) and carrots with the herbs until they begin to caramelise. Remove from the pan and set aside. Season the flour well with salt and pepper, and toss the steak and kidney in it to coat. Add more oil to the pan if necessary and then brown the meat in batches.
2. Pour in the stout and puree, then scrape any beefy floury bits from the bottom of the pan, then add the stock, the vegetables and all the meat. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid. Leave to simmer for 1 ½ hours until tender then allow to cool.

Stage 2

1. Two hours before dining sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl and add the salt and mustard powder. Rub in the suet briefly to mix, then add enough cold water to bring it to firm dough.
2. Separate off a quarter of the dough and set aside and then roll out the rest to about 1 cm thick. Grease a 1 litre pudding basin generously, and use the pastry to line it, being careful not to stretch the pastry too much.
3. Fill the pastry with the steak & kidney mix, stopping about 2cm from the top, and then roll out the lid and stick it on with a little cold water. Cover the basin with greaseproof paper then foil, leaving enough slack for the pastry to rise, and fashion a handle out of string to lift the basin out of the water.
4. Put the pudding in a large pan half-filled with boiling water, cover tightly with foil or a lid and simmer for 2 hours. Check the water level after 1 hour, though it should be ok if the lid is tightly sealed, and top up with more boiling water if necessary.
5. Turn out and serve immediately with lots of buttery mashed potatoes and a little English mustard.