Yorkshire Puddings

One of the classic English dishes is the traditional Yorkshire pudding - and you will find many menus in restaurants and pubs all over the country including roast beef with Yorkshire pudding for Sunday lunch or supper in particular. The dish is so beloved that the British Sunday Roast has been given its own day of celebration on the first Sunday of February.

Foreign visitors can sometimes be confused by the use of the word `pudding` to describe the dish which is made from a batter and served as part of a savoury course with meat and vegetables. Originally, it is thought that the Yorkshire pudding (although it is believed the dish comes from the North of England, it is not clear whether it is from Yorkshire or not) was a `filler` in poor households and was served before the more expensive meat course, made up of the cheaper ingredients of flour, eggs, milk, water and beef dripping (or vegetable oil) and salt.

Today the Yorkshire pudding has become an intrinsic part of the dish and many variations have arisen around it.

For example, although beef was the traditional pairing with the Yorkshire pudding, it can now be eaten with other meats or, sometimes, it is served on its own with gravy. Originally, too the light and crispy batter of the Yorkshire pudding was prepared in one large and shallow tin and then divided into squares on serving.

However, the form of the dish has now changed and it can be made in muffin tins to create individual puddings (or can be bought in these shapes pre-made from the supermarket). Sometimes `giant` puddings are served, filled with gravy, meat and vegetables as a dish of its own too.

Other variations have arisen too - the most famous of which is probably `Toad in the Hole`. This is another filling traditional English dish, when sausages are cooked in a large Yorkshire pudding. Toad in the Hole is usually accompanied by onion gravy.

In days gone by, the leftovers of Yorkshire pudding were used too, often reheated and with sweet ingredients such as fruit, jam or syrup. The crispy texture of the Yorkshire pudding means that it is amenable to this way of `using it up`.

A whole range of `sweet` Yorkshire pudding recipes have sprung up in this vein - you can find recipes to use bananas and maple syrup or raspberry sauce to accompany the Yorkshire pudding (either hot or cold).

Andrew Pern, the chef on the Great British Menu made a Pistachio and Rhubarb Yorkshire Pudding to give an exotic twist to a staple English favourite.

Certainly, the core batter of the Yorkshire pudding can also be used to create other dishes completely (excluding the pepper) such as pancakes.

As ever, when preparing whichever version of the Yorkshire Pudding recipes that suits your tastes or the occasion, it is always worth using good quality catering equipment to get the best results.