Wow, we were damned impressive, moonlit. But maybe you've actually tasted it - what's it like?

I've had spotted dick, and its close cousin, plum duff. For some reason, if you make them over an open fire at camp, when you've been out in the open for a week or more, they taste *great*. At home, NSM.

Perhaps there's something to do with hunger driving you to it. I mean, people do all kinds of crazy things when they're hungry, right?

Aha! The Pudding Club is what the NPR piece was on about. See: [link] for pictures of weird-looking desserts with funny names.

spotted dick pic

Oh. Not a terribly appetizing picture, is it? And suet, ick. So, not something I'll be trying anytime soon. Thanks for all your help!

Closest is probably traditional xmas pudding.

I vaguely recall making one in Cooking Class in Form 2 (which would have been in about 1972) and I've never touched one since. However they have made a bit of a comeback over the last few years along with bread n' butter pudding, queen of puddings, sticky date pudding, bangers n' mash etc., the 'nursery/comfort' food reproduction period.

I had spotted dick at a pub in Amesbury (? one o' them stone circle towns?). I remember liking it at the time, although I couldn't tell you now what it tasted like. I giggled about so much, that my host sent me a tin of it when I was back home. Four years later, It's still sitting on top of my fridge.

Amesbury (? one o' them stone circle towns?)

The town inside the stone circle? That would be Avebury. If it's just near a stone circle, there's a rather wider choice. I don't know if they serve spotted dick in the pub in Avebury (which I think is the Red Lion-- I ate there myself only months ago, I should know the name, at least), but it sounds likely. And it would be delicious if they did. It's a good pub.

Spotted Dick's not a bad pudding. It's not a wonderful pudding, but it's okay. It's from the UK school of dumplingy-thing-with-custard puddings, of course, clearly designed to help you withstand chilly winters in a time before central heating. God alone knows the derivation of the name, but my contempt for that whole stupid ass Spotted Richard bullshit that the supermarket pulled is too great for mere words to expres. If they genuinely thought the knob gags were a problem, 'Spotted Pudding' or 'Fruit Pudding' would have been fine. Changing 'Dick' to 'Richard' is going to make you stare blankly, do the math, and then go "Richard? Richard? What?....Oh yeah! Spotted Dick. Why have they...oh! They've changed it 'cause it means cock."

I'm still working on the part where spotted dick is made of suet.

Suet??

Isn't that the stuff you leave out in your backyard in winter, so the birds won't starve? Isn't it basically congealed white animal fat?

I mean, okay, I can vaguely understand my grandma saving goose grease and cooking other things in it, but grease all by itself? With only raisins as a chaser?

Suet's just the shortening. There's other stuff in it -- flour, eggs, alcohol, spices.