Mrs Simkins British Hasty Pudding!

Hello, there!

Simple, more-ish and comforting, you can’t get much more homely than this traditional British pudding that travelled over to America with the Pilgrim Fathers (or Forefathers, as they were first known). Originally from Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire the pilgrims set sail for America in 1620 hoping to recreate their favourite foods when they got there.

As it turned out, the pudding needed a bit of a makeover: wheat flour was scarce so early settlers used cornmeal or ‘Indian corn’ instead and topped it off with a splash of newly discovered maple syrup.

Hasty pudding, sometimes known as Indian pudding is now regarded as an American classic whereas the English version has inexplicably fallen out of favour.

It’s is well worth a revival: try both, equally delicious, versions and see what you think. American Version

Substitute fine cornmeal or polenta for flour and serve with maple syrup and a dab of butter: you may like to reduce the sugar in the pudding by half.

Hands up! Who remembers Creamola?

It’s very odd but whilst I was researching hasty pudding and making some trial ones, I discovered it tastes exactly like my old childhood favourite: Creamola.

Creamola was a wonderfully comforting and subtly flavoured ground rice pudding that was around years ago. I loved it as a child: in fact I practically lived on it for a few days when I was fourteen. My mum had to go into hospital and whilst Dad was working lates I kept myself going with Creamola, mugs of tea and toasted Lincolnshire plum bread!

I often have wistful cravings for it but you can’t get it now, I think it was last heard of sometime in the early nineties. Despite not being made from ground rice, both hasty pudding versions taste just like Creamola: so go on Creamola lovers, make yourself some hasty pudding!