Skip to content

Yorkshire Puddings and Rosemary Roast Potatoes

My recent post Hey Carol – Forgot the Sunday Roast? provoked some responses particularly about Yorkshire Pudding. It also made me ravenously hungry thinking about a typical British Sunday roast dinner. The thought struck me that many people outside of the UK have possibly no idea a) what a Yorkshire Pudding is and b) how to make one or several, if you have a few mouths to feed! So here goes –

Here is what Wikipedia says:

Yorkshire pudding is an English side dish made from batter consisting of eggs, flour, and milk. The dish is sometimes served with beef and gravy and is a staple of the traditional British Sunday roast. It may also be served as a dessert.

Originally the Yorkshire pudding was eaten on its own as a first course with thick gravy to fill the stomach with the low cost ingredients so that one would not eat so much of the more expensive meat in the following course. There is no special association with the county of Yorkshire.  An early recipe appeared in William Kenrick’s The Whole Duty of a Woman in 1737.

And on its origins it says this –

When wheat flour began to come into common use for making cakes and puddings, cooks in the north of England devised a means of making use of the fat that dropped into the dripping pan to cook a batter pudding while the meat roasted. In 1737, a recipe for ‘a dripping pudding’ (Later named The Yorkshire Pudding) was published in The Whole Duty of a Woman:

Make a good batter as for pancakes; put in a hot toss-pan over the fire with a bit of butter to fry the bottom a little then put the pan and butter under a shoulder of mutton, instead of a dripping pan, keeping frequently shaking it by the handle and it will be light and savoury, and fit to take up when your mutton is enough; then turn it in a dish and serve it hot.

Similar instructions were published in 1747 in The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy by Hannah Glasse under the title of ‘Yorkshire pudding’. It was she who re-invented and renamed the original version, called Dripping Pudding, which had been cooked in England for centuries, although these puddings were much flatter than the puffy versions known today.

Perfect Yorkshire Puds
Ready for the Oven
Perfection
Perfection

There is no special association with the county of Yorkshire“. As a Lancastrian, I cannot start to explain my joy at that statement 🙂 And some people scoff at using Wikipedia as a source of authority. Not me folks! When I was looking for creative commons stock photos for the Hey Carol  article, I stumbled upon a recipe for Yorkshire Pudding which I particularly liked. But I forgot to make a note of it and it was only a few days ago that I rediscovered the particular blog where I found the recipe. Here I unashamedly reproduce the recipe from “This Little Home” as I think it is set out brilliantly and ever so simply.

Yorkshire Puddings

Ingredients:

  • 150g Plain Flour
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 4 Eggs
  • 200ml Milk
  • Sunflower Oil

Directions:

  1. Place flour and salt into a bowl and add the eggs
  2. Whisk the mixture until combined.
  3. Slowly add the milk, whisking and removing any lumps as you go until all the milk has been added.
  4. Leave to rest whilst the oven heats.
  5. Preheat your oven to 180 oc
  6. Using a muffin tin. Drop a small splash of sunflower oil into each hole and place in the oven to heat up.
  7. Once the tin is hot, remove from the oven and pour your mixture into each section, filling it up halfway.
  8. Place back in the oven for 20-25 minutes and resist the urge to open the oven beforehand.
  9. You can freeze your puddings after they have cooled to use for a future meal, just place in a hot oven straight from the freezer to warm through for a minute or two before serving.

 

Oh boy! I am getting hungry again. Writing about wholesome British food tells me I am some kind of masochist!

I also mentioned another ‘must have’ with a British Sunday roast in the Hey Carol piece and that was roasted potatoes.

“This Little Home” again obliged by setting out a recipe for rosemary roasted potatoes. Wow! One of my favorite cooking herbs (is it a herb?) is rosemary (another is thyme) and combined with yummy roast potatoes. How satisfying is that? Once again with no shame whatsoever here is that recipe – it’s too good not to share!

Rosemary Roast Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 1kg Potatoes
  • 1 Tsp Fresh Rosemary
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt plus a pinch to add to the water
  • 6 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • Flour to dust potatoes

Directions:

  1. Peel and chop potatoes,  cover with water in a large pan and bring to the boil
  2. Turn heat down to medium and continue to cook for 10 minutes
  3. Remove from the heat and drain
  4. Dust potatoes with the flour and gently shake them to rough the edges
  5. Pour oil into a separate bowl and add the rosemary
  6. Cover potatoes with the oil and add the salt
  7. Lay them out on a baking tray and roast for 40 minutes at 180 oc
  8. Turn potatoes 2-3 times during this time to ensure they cook evenly.

 

I do hope you visit this blog This Little Home. It gives me a lot of pleasure and not just because of the recipes. It is well written and interesting, all put together by the talented Becky. And I’m sure her “man” would not mind me adding that she is also a very attractive lady! I sincerly hope not as Becky describes him as a scuba diver, conjuring up images of a big guy with muscles! I’ll call you “Mister”  or just “Sir” 🙂 As a family they love food and there are wonderful articles on growing vegetables and fruit. I wish she was nearer to the Philippines as I need some expert advice on my little roof top terrace veggy garden!

Enjoy Becky’s Yorkshire Pud and rosemary roasted potatoes, where ever you are 🙂

Follow Me On Social Media
Published inFood and Eating Out

4 Comments

  1. Adam Lawrence Adam Lawrence

    There’s something special about a roasted potato with species like rosemary, though I also do a “hashbrown” that includes oregano, basil, thyme, and other similar mild spices.

    Yep, making me hungry now.

  2. Becky Becky

    Hi Stephen,

    Becky from This Little Home here. Just wanted to say thank you for such a lovely write up! How exciting that my recipes are reaching you so far away and I’m glad you enjoyed them.
    Finally, the boys have given me some peace and I have had a chance to read about your adventures in Bacolod, it sounds like an amazing place to live and a true adventure.
    Wishing you all the best with your book!
    Becky x

    • Hi Becky. Your recipes travel a long way and I have had interest in them from all over the world. Your culinary skills are famous now 🙂 Yes it’s an amazing place to live and thanks for the good wishes for my book. Take Care!

I would love to hear from you

©2021 - 2022 Stephen Bentley - and Hendry Publishing Ltd Registered in England and Wales: Company Number 13486229 Registered Office: 20-22 Wenlock Road London N1 7GU All Rights Reserved