When we moved back up north to my other half’s old area in Manchester, it was a shock in many ways. I’m a northern girl, but I’m not from Manchester, and I didn’t realise how many little quirks it had.
For a start they call a bread bun a ‘muffin’, or to give it its full name, an ‘oven bottom muffin’. And they won’t be told otherwise despite being literally the only place in the country to use the term. The Wigan kebab – a meat and potato pie served in a bread roll – is unique to the North West too – thankfully.
The one that really surprised me though, was the rag pudding. That’s not a typo, it’s actually called a rag pudding, and despite sounding about as inedible as a mud pie, it’s really chuffing good! My fella was on at me to try one for ages and I outright refused, but then, one Sunday afternoon, I was told by my father in law in no uncertain terms that I was trying it, and I was instantly won over.
It’s a pudding in the same way a Yorkshire pudding is a pudding. It’s savoury, not sweet, and there are no rags involved. Well, not usually. Not anymore. But believe me when I tell you that a good rag pudding is one of the most hearty comfort foods you have never eaten.
This post is my effort to spread the word of rag puddings far and wide, and get the whole nation onto them. So let’s tuck in!
A Local Delicacy Born in Oldham
It might sound like something a Victorian child would be threatened with, but trust me, you want to give this local delicacy a try.
It’s a really simple dish: minced beef and onions wrapped in a suet pastry, which is then tied up in cloth and steamed. Traditionally it was wrapped in cloth, anyway. It dates back to 19th century Oldham, when steaming something in a muslin cloth was cheaper and probably more practical than using tins.
The area was full of cotton mills back then so there was no shortage of ‘rags’ to steam things in.
It’s not a million miles away from a savoury suet pudding to be honest, and you used to be able to get those in Wetherspoons. So a rag pudding isn’t all that strange apart from the name.
Now, I am many things, but a saintly housewife I am not. So making my own rag pudding from scratch is not something I have ever done. However, you can get them ready made and can either warm them up in the oven or in the microwave, or even boil them if you want to go old school.
Slap it on a plate with some chips, peas, and loads of extra gravy, and you’ve got a family classic.
Rag Pudding Recipe
I said I have never made a rag pudding and it’s true, I haven’t.
BUT.
My fella’s mother has made hundreds of them, and she has agreed to share her recipe with you lot. So if you are a better partner than me, you can have a go at making one yourself.
This is the traditional recipe for making a rag pudding:
Ingredients
- 250g beef mince
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp flour
- Salt and pepper
- Splash of stock or gravy
- 200g self-raising flour
- 100g shredded suet
- Cold water
- Clean muslin cloth or cotton pudding cloth
Method
- Gently fry the mince and onion until browned. Stir in the tablespoon of flour. Add a splash of stock or gravy, season well, and let it simmer for a few minutes until thickened.
- For the pastry, mix the self-raising flour and suet in a bowl, then add cold water gradually until you get a soft, workable dough.
- Roll the dough out into a rectangle. Spoon the beef mixture into the centre and fold the dough around it to seal into a neat parcel.
- Dampen your clean cloth lightly, dust it with flour, then wrap the pudding securely and tie it with string, leaving a little room for expansion.
- Steam the pudding for around 1 hour 45 minutes. Check the water level now and again.
- Unwrap carefully and serve with gravy, mash, or chips — preferably on a day cold enough to justify the whole experience.
It’s a meal that works whenever, but in the Autumn or Winter rag pudding is the best.
My mother in law brings one round every now and again and honestly, I’m genuinely excited every time she does it. We make do with ready made rag puddings the rest of the time, they are a Smithy family favourite these days, but nothing beats a home made one.
So go forth and try one, tell your friends. If you ask me, the rag pudding needs to go national.