Hello, darlings!

​Miss Windsor excitedly presents Mrs Beeton’s Traditional British Christmas Pudding recipe – a frightfully fruity, remarkably rich, temptingly moist, and abundantly boozy classic festive dessert, which I discovered buried deep within my culinary bible – the 1906 edition of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management – page 939, to be exact.  

And I must say, what thrill it was, although rather laborious, to step back in time to the late 1800s and recreate an age-old recipe following traditional methods. Therefore, with a whole day set aside, and with my great-great-grandmother Georgina in mind, I wished to experience the joys of a Victorian 19th-century cook, slogging away in the kitchen preparing for the Christmas Day feast – well, so far, just the Christmas pudding!  

I dare say, darlings, my great-great-grandmother Georgina would’ve whipped up an abundance of Christmassy creations in her quaint Somersetshire kitchen, including a stonker of a Christmas pudding, to be devoured on Christmas Day by her beloved husband Henry and their gaggle of 9 children. By Jove! Georgina must’ve had the patience of a saint as Christmas puddings take around 4 to 5 hours to steam! 

Now, a little history lesson about the world-famous Christmas pudding. It originates from England and began life in the 14th century as a pottage called “frumenty”, which was a kind of broth type soup made with beef/mutton, wine, spice, and fruit. Then it evolved over the years until the Victorians referred to it as plum pudding, or by the common title of Christmas pudding – please note: plums refer to raisins or any kind of dried fruit.

Also, did you know that Victorian Christmas puddings, or maybe before such era, were made with chopped beef suet, mixed fruit, spices, candied peel, and so on? I say, nor did I, until I carried out some thorough research. Therefore, I discovered there are many recipes out there for Christmas pudding – some require sugar, maybe an egg or four, a hunk of butter, lemon juice, nuts, honey, and of course, a wineglassful of rum or brandy.​

Darlings, in addition to one wineglassful of rum, it was my intention to recreate an exceedingly rich and moist version of Mrs Beeton’s Christmas pudding, so I roughly chopped the dried fruit, then soaked it for a week (few days will suffice) in dark Lambs Navy Rum. I say, thank goodness for Alfred Lamb who in 1849 created this exquisite alcoholic beverage with no fewer than 18 rums from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Guyana.

I then added dark brown sugar, in fact, the original version called for no sugar at all, and I also opted for brown breadcrumbs instead of white.

​You see, I believe all these additions actually deepen the colour and prevents your pudding from looking rather “anaemic”! ​Oh, and I must state, following a Victorian yet religious tradition one should make their Christmas pudding on the last Sunday before Advent begins, but a couple of weeks before Christmas day will suffice! 

​Oh, dear! I expect some of you are wondering what the heck is Stir-Up Sunday? In brief, it’s a special time when family gather together and take it in turns to stir the pudding mixture, whilst making a wish for the year ahead. Traditionally charms were added such as a silver coin which represents wealth – and there you have it! 

​So, before you have a jolly ol’ go at recreating this heavenly pud, Miss Windsor suggests you make two generous sized puddings, instead of an extra-large one as Mrs Beeton recommends that would feed a ginormous family of ten!

​Therefore, serve one this year, then having spoon-fed your second pud with dark rum or brandy all year round, it will have matured by intensifying the flavours, thus improving the texture in readiness for your next festive knees up.

Before I forget, if you belong to the health-conscious society, that being you’re gluten-free or a lacto-ovo-vegetarian (this type can eat eggs) then one may opt for vegetable suet, gluten-free flour, gluten-free breadcrumbs – or one may use ground almonds instead – voila! And just for the record, I have experimented with all of the above, and although it turned out slightly paler in colour, it was indeed a culinary triumph!  

By the way, at present, our trusty British household name of Atora has not created a gluten-free type of suet. However, I’ve carried out a bit of research and luckily I discovered a gluten-free/vegetarian suet by WWW.NATURALLYGOODFOOD.CO.UK. 
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Darlings, please do enjoy every mouthful with a drop or two of brandy butter, thick cream or Birds custard!

Miss Windsor x

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR 

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Mrs Beeton’s Traditional British ​Christmas Pudding!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Equipment

• 1 extra-large pudding basin (Size: 4-pint / 2.27 litres/ 4.80 US pint)
• Or – 2 x pudding basins (Size: 2-pint / 1.14 litres / 2.40 US pint)
• food-processor or similar implement

Ingredients

• large bottle of dark rum / brandy (to soak the fruit)
• 220 g (1 & 3/4 cups) dried raisins
• 220 g (1 & 3/4 cups) dried sultanas
• 120 g (1 cup) dried currants
• 225 g (3 & 1/2 cups) fresh brown breadcrumbs
• 60 g (3/4 cup) desiccated cocoanut
• 120 g (3/4 cup) roughly chopped mixed peel
• 60 g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
• 220 g (2 cups) beef or vegetable suet
• 150 g (1 cup) dark brown sugar
• ½ grated nutmeg
• ½ heaped teaspoon mixed spice
• ½ heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 142 ml (5 fl oz) whole fat milk
• 4 eggs – lightly beaten
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 wineglassful of dark rum

Instructions

• First off, roughly chop all the dried fruit and soak in any dark rum or brandy for about one week – if pushed for time a few days will suffice.
• Using a sieve drain the rum soaked fruit and set to one side.
• Prepare your breadcrumbs by using a food processor or similar implement, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Add desiccated cocoanut, mixed peel, self-raising flour, suet, dark brown sugar, nutmeg, mixed spice, ground cinnamon, a pinch of salt, rum soaked fruit, milk, lightly beaten eggs, lemon juice, and a wineglassful of rum – Oh, and do save a drop for yourself!
• Darlings, using a wooden spoon mix all the ingredients together – go on and ‘give it some welly'!
• Reach for a large saucepan, and place an old saucer on the bottom (this will prevent the basin from cracking) then fill with water, about half-way up the basin, and immediately put on to boil.
• Now, take two pudding basins or an extra large one. Grease well with butter, and three-quarters fill with the mixture.
• Time to prepare the basins for steaming. Cut a large piece of greaseproof paper and foil. Place the foil piece on the kitchen counter followed by the greaseproof paper on top, then lightly grease with butter.
• Holding both pieces, make a pleat in the centre – this will allow space for the pudding mixture to rise.
• Gently place over the basin and mould it around the edges.
• Using a large piece of string, tightly wrap it around a few times under the ‘lip’ of the basin, and secure with a knot or two.
• Make a handle by threading the string from one side to the other a few times. Again, secure with a knot or two.
• Trim off the excess paper/foil, then tuck both layers under neatly – making an extra water-tight skirt.
• Now the water is boiling, using the handle, place the basin gently into the saucepan and cover with lid.
• Darlings, make sure you regularly top up with water, as you wouldn't want your Christmas pud to boil dry!
• After approximately 3- 4 hrs (2-pint basin) or 4-5 hrs (family size basin), Miss Windsor recommends checking if they’re cooked. Insert a skewer right through the foil/paper layer. If it comes out clean it’s ready, if not keep steaming for a while longer!
• Once cooked, allow to completely cool. Prick all over with a skewer and spoon feed with dark rum or brandy.
• Then cover with a layer of greaseproof paper and foil, tightly secure with string, and store in a cool dark place – not a fridge or freezer!
• If you have made this a few weeks before Christmas Day, just spoon feed every week with dark rum or brandy, or if made well in advance once per month will do!
• When the big day has arrived, give your pudding a fresh covering of greaseproof paper/foil – don’t forget to make a handle! Then steam for approximately 2 hours.

The post Mrs Beeton’s Traditional British Christmas Pudding Recipe & History! appeared first on Miss Windsor's Delectables.

Hello, darlings!

I say, troops! – stand to attention, grab your spade, grow your own fruit and vegetables, Dig for Victory, and Eat for Victory – By Jove! chaps, now that’s the wartime spirit.

Miss Windsor’s back again with yet another seasonal, allotment inspired, palate-pleasing culinary treat, based on a rather spiffing wartime recipe from my Eating for Victory cookery book.

So please give a warm welcome to something a trifle different, frightfully British, and exceedingly healthful – Miss Windsor’s Beetroot & Green Bean Fritters!

You see, my recipe is a fabulous fusion of 1940s wartime cuisine, my dear Winnie’s allotment grown beetroot and French beans (of course, one may use shop-bought) and today’s commonly known ingredient of gluten-free flour – anything to satisfy the health-conscious community.

​In fact, to achieve such culinary excellence I dabbled with both wheat flour and the gluten-free type, yet extraordinarily the latter produced a far tastier dish; thus created a rather pleasant gritty texture.

​Darlings, my beloved grandmother Josie once told me that during World War II the British public was far healthier than in this day and age, “Would you Adam and Eve it!” I hear you shriek with a slight tone of dismay! 

This was due to many factors, as near the end of the First World War the government finally took heed of the food issues that arose during such time, therefore, scientific research was carried out into all areas of food and nutrition.

Also, during the great depression in the 1920s unemployment had soared to more than two million, plus a staggering number of people were near destitute and sadly couldn’t afford to buy nutritious foods such as milk, fruit, and vegetables. And quite shockingly, around forty million folks suffered from some kind of deficiency, most commonly calcium, which thankfully prompted the government to provide milk in schools.  

Of course, one wasn’t too shocked to learn that a study conducted by the British Medical Association in the 1930s, revealed that the more affluent areas of society during that period benefited from an abundance of basic dietary constituents.

As you know war broke out again in 1939, “Miss Windsor, but what the heck did the government do to ensure every member of society was well fed and watered?” you pipe up from across the airwaves!

Well, my dears, firstly let’s pay homage to Sir Jack Drummond – nutritional biochemist and scientific adviser to the Ministry of Food, who chummed up with Lord Woolton – who also happened to be the wartime Minister of Food (glorious food!).  

You see, their shared passion to improve the nation’s diet and to eradicate malnutrition, eventually led to a national food policy. Thus, measures were put in place to feed the British public back to good health.

PHOTO CREDIT – ​CLICK HERE ​

And without going into every last detail, in the year of 1940, every man, woman, and the child was issued with a ration book for butter, bacon, and sugar. Soon followed by meat, preserves, tea, margarine, cooking fats, milk, and so on – so whether you were rich or poor, all members of society received adequate nutrition to survive the war. 

You’ll be pleased to hear that the Advice Division of the Ministry of Food provided excellent counsel to the British public throughout the war, which included the healthiest ways to remain fighting fit and how to best use their food rations. In fact, one thing we’re all familiar with is the government’s Dig for Victory campaign – such an ingenious idea, don’t ya think! 

So, whether you were a city dweller or a country bumpkin everyone was encouraged to grab a spade and dig up their flower beds, window boxes, backyards, tennis courts, you name it and dig their way to victory and good health with homegrown fruit and vegetables. 

Moving swiftly on, if you’re following my wartime culinary journey then you would’ve read about my visit to Whimsical Winnie’s allotment at Fulham Palace Meadows, London. If so, then one presumes you’ve learnt a fact or two about the meadows fascinating “green-fingered” connection with the war effort – if not, then slap on the wrist!

Therefore, before one proceeds any further please do pop over and meet my dear friend Winnie – The Queen of Fulham Palace Meadows, and I’ll see you back here in a jiffy.

Here’s the LINK:
WHIMSICAL WINNIE THE QUEEN OF FULHAM PALACE MEADOWS ALLOTMENTS!

Welcome back darlings! Unfortunately, it has come to Miss Windsor’s attention that many of you succumbed to the common ailment of “idle eyes”, so just this once one will indulge you with a few titbits about one’s recipe and the meadows.

​You see, many months before Miss Windsor toddled off to Winnie’s allotment, one was bestowed a delightful cookery book from the good lady of Fortune PR (www.fortunepr.co.uk) called Eating for Victory (Healthy Home Front Cooking on War Rations) – aren’t I a lucky girl! 

Then following my visit to Winnie’s precious allotment, I was delighted to learn that in 1916 there was a generous old chap known as Bishop Winnington-Ingram who granted the land or meadows to the good folk of Fulham, London, as part of an early WWI Dig for Victory campaign.

​I say, this news excited me greatly as it fits in perfectly with my theme of food history; in particular wartime recipes.  

PHOTO CREDIT – CLICK HERE

Darlings, Miss Windsor is feeling awfully parched now, so must pop off for a well-deserved cup of tea!

But before I go, may I rouse your spirits with a few trill notes from the “Forces’ Sweetheart” Dame Vera Lynn, “We’ll meet again, don’t know where don’t know when. But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day!” I say, what a rather romantic and merry ending to our time together, but I’m sure “we’ll meet again some sunny day………!”

Darlings, a round of applause to the delightfully talented Cathy (Twitter: @CathysArtPalace) for her incredible illustration of Miss Windsor’s photo – as above. 

For dessert, may I suggest another wartime classic:

MISS WINDSOR’S BLACKBERRY & APPLE CRUMBLE (GLUTEN-FREE or VEGAN)

Miss Windsor x

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Miss Windsor’s Wartime Recipe: Gluten-Free Beetroot & Green Bean Fritters!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Servings 8 large fritters

Equipment

• 1 frying pan – large and deep

Ingredients

• 1 large cooked beetroot
• 50 g (1/2 cup) any green beans (such as French beans)
• 3 stems of spring onions
• 170 g (1 & 1/4 cups) plain gluten-free flour (or plain wheat flour)
• 3 heaped teaspoons – gluten-free baking powder
• 1 heaped teaspoon – sea salt
• 1 heaped teaspoon – cracked black pepper
• 1 heaped tablespoon – dried mixed herbs
• approx. 200ml (7 US fl oz) whole milk
• olive oil

Instructions

• Darlings, run along now and disinfect your mitts with a bar of that carbolic fragranced Lifebuoy soap – much obliged!
• Ok, now you’re nice and clean, you can cook your own beetroot which won’t take too long. Or, if time is the essence, then please do succumb to the modern-day convenience of vacuum-packed cooked beetroot! Either way, please grate with a cheese grater and set to one side.
• In a mixing bowl sieve together, the baking powder and flour. Add the salt and pepper and give it a good ol’ stir. Then with a wooden spoon mix to a stiff batter with milk and beat well.
• Roughly chop the green beans, then steam for a minute or so in your rather ghastly microwave and add to the grated beetroot.
• Finely chop the spring onion and combine with the beetroot / green bean mixture. Transfer to the batter and add the dried herbs. Mix well.
• Now, grab your frying pan and thickly coat with olive oil (avoid being too heavy-handed!) then turn the temperature to high. Once the oil starts to sizzle a little, turn the temperature down a tad – to around medium/high.
• Okey dokey, now fetch a large dessertspoon along with your rather striking, cerise pink batter.
• Then drop three or four equal-ish amounts into the hot oil.
• When golden brown on the underside, turn over.
• Once both sides are perfectly browned, transfer to a plate covered in paper towel to soak up any excess oil. Then repeat the cooking process until you’ve used up the batter.
• I say, now it’s time to serve your fabulous fritters to your delightful guests. Please do so with sliced beetroot, and any salad of your choice – voila!

The post Miss Windsor’s Wartime Beetroot & Green Bean Fritters! appeared first on Miss Windsor's Delectables.

Hello, darlings!

I say, fancy joining me for a nostalgic trip down memory lane, and learn how to recreate one of my favourite, British, summertime or anytime desserts? Well, darlings, how could one resist a nibble or two on Miss Windsor’s Blackberry & Apple Crumble (Oh, I say!).

​You’ll be pleased to know that it’s completely gluten-free and vegan – “OMG!” I hear you shriek with sheer delight!, and it’s so devilishly delicious that even the health-conscious community are rather baffled how I achieved such culinary excellence, despite the reputation that gluten-free food is notoriously bland.

Now, for those who like to keep abreast (Oh, I say!) regarding the history of British food​, you’ll be chuffed to discover that our beloved “crumble” began its culinary journey during World War II. You see, due to the strict rationing of food, one had to “think outside the box”, so to speak! and invent meals that used less ingredients such as flour, sugar and fat. 

​Of course, back in those days, many folks were rather enamoured by British pies, but as Grandmother Josie would often trumpet, “Hard cheese, my dear” (translation: hard luck!), as sadly pies were completely off the menu due to their indulgent need for a pastry base.

Of course, such a requirement would’ve been a hefty blow to your ration book and would have left you with nout to spare for the rest of the week. Anyway, my dears, thank goodness for the invention of the crumble which can be made sweet or savoury (How spiffing!).  
​
Darlings, now memory lane can be such a captivating place! I gleefully recall my childhood pastime of blackberry picking. Every year armed with a Tupperware vessel little me would join forces with Mother and together we scoured the bountiful West-Country hedgerows, in search of a bumper crop of purply plump blackberries!

​Oh, and what wonderful memories I have of Mother’s mouth-watering, West-Countryfied version of Blackberry & Apple Crumble. 

This year I decided to follow my dear mother’s tradition, thus baked a Blackberry & Apple Crumble using foraged South-East London blackberries. However, my recipe is completely gluten-free, vegan, and with no white sugar insight – very healthful, indeed! ​
​
In fact, I picked so many blackberries that I assigned three huge bags their very own shelf within the prickly cold atmosphere of my rather trusty freezer. ​​

Darlings, now if your diet allows please enjoy Miss Windsor’s Blackberry & Apple Crumble with a splash of custard. One recommends Birds egg-free custard as it’s completely vegan, and tastes absolutely divine – the very best of British fayre! 

Enjoy! 

Miss Windsor x

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR 

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Miss Windsor’s Blackberry and Apple Crumble (Gluten-Free/Vegan)

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 8 delightful guests!

Equipment

• Glass or enamel oven proof dish (25.5 x 18 cm or 10 x 7 inches)

Ingredients

THE FILLING:

• 2 medium bramley apples
• 240 g (1 & 1/2 heaped cups) washed blackberries
• 1 large lime – zest & juice
• 4 generous dessertspoons of honey
• Handful of desiccated coconut
• 30 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil or butter

THE TOPPING:

• 40 g (just over 1/4 cup) soft brown sugar
• 40 g (1/2 cup) ground almonds
• 40 g (heaped 1/4 cup) gluten-free granola
• 80 g (3/4 cup) gluten-free rolled oats
• 60 g (1/3 cup) coconut oil

Instructions

• Darlings, hygiene should be practised meticulously in every kitchen! Wash your hands please – ‘splish, splash’!
• Preheat your oven to 180*C / 160*C Fan / 350* F / gas mark 4
• Peel and core the apples, then cut into pieces of all shapes and sizes!
• With the aid of a small bowl gently mix together the blackberries and apple pieces, then transfer into your chosen item of ovenware – Much obliged!
• Using a jug combine the juice and zest of 1 lime, honey, and desiccated coconut. Mix well then pour over the fruit
• With a spoon, dollop the coconut oil all over the lime/honey mixture – Ta very muchly!
• Place on the middle shelf of oven and bake for 25 minutes or so, until the fruit has softened. Stir once half-way through
• Now, grab a large mixing bowl and mix together the brown sugar, ground almonds, granola, and rolled oats. Then using your dainty little fingertips rub in the coconut oil
• Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the fruit, then transfer to the middle shelf of oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes
• Your fruity 'crumble creation' is ready when slightly sun-kissed, and the fruit is bubbling around the edge of your ovenware vessel!
• Serve hot with lashings of custard or a jolly good drenching of double cream – Voila!

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