Yes, you read that title correctly dear readers. National Yorkshire Pudding Day is, in fact, a real thing in the world in which we are living. The delectable Yorkshire pudding, which is known to be nestled in amongst your roast dinner delights, has officially got a day dedicated to it yearly. Well, technically it has two days, but for the sake of this blog we are sticking to just the one! This time falling on Thursday 13th October 2022!

 

The other day, for you fact checkers and truth searchers out there, is the first Sunday in February every year.

 

In this writers humble opinion, surely a Sunday does make more sense, rather than a Thursday. This would mean Sunday roasts a-plenty, letting the Yorkshire pud take pride and place on the plate across the nation, yet a Thursday will have to do! 

 

So a little bit about the Yorkshire pudding - a little bit of history (as always) and a lot of love for this, essentially, inflated pancake...

 

 

Now British readers will roll their eyes and mutter ‘obviously’ at this point - but for our other international readers I shall state it regardless: a Yorkshire pudding (despite the word pudding being in the name) is in fact - not typically classed as a dessert. There are several people I know who spread some jam on them and eat them as such (but I will endeavour to leave my personal feelings regarding that subject, out of this!) 

 

It is a traditional English dish made from a batter (the very same which makes pancakes, as hinted above), yet typically served alongside meat and gravy. English cooks created this beauty using the fat that dropped into dripping pans from spit roasts way back before packet mixes and easy to use ovens existed. Dating back to the 1700’s, we can trace the delicious Yorkshire Pudding to a  book named ’The Whole Duty of a Woman’, where it was known more commonly as 'Dripping Pudding’, due to the aforementioned way it was created).

 

Now, if we gloss over the ridiculous title (it was the 1700s & men didn’t seem to realise women were intelligent creatures of substantial thought who didn’t need 'duties' spelling out), we can admire the fact that the humble Yorkshire puddings have stood the test of time and remain ever popular this day. We delved deeper into how they were created in the book, ’The Art of Cookery Made Plain & Easy’ by Hannah Glasse back in 1747, who was the first to call it a Yorkshire pudding in print!

 

She stated:

 

 

Too greasy? You were told to add a little bit of butter and put it on the fire again until it was crispy goodness!  'Dripping Pudding' was considered an ‘exceeding good pudding; the gravy of the meat eats well with it.’ And we couldn’t have said it better ourselves... 

 

The most similar thing we can find here in the Netherlands is called the Dutch Baby Pancake, which is typically made with eggs, flour, sugar & milk with a little dash of vanilla or cinnamon for sweet flavour. And for Americans? The closest we can get is a Popover, which Americans (please correct me if I’m wrong) can be eaten with fruit, whipped cream or jam for breakfast! 

 

 

Nowadays its more commonly found in a pudding tin and you don’t have to catch the meat fat dripping down your spit roast! All you need is about 3 eggs, flour, milk, a little salt and a bit of a smidge of melted butter (or fat!) 

 

So here is the recipe by an actual Yorkshire lass born & bread (& the mother of one of our colleagues): 

To make around 12 small Yorkshire Puddings: 

 

You will need: 

1) 6 ounces of plain flour 

2) 3 medium sized eggs 

3) Pinch of Salt 

4) 150-200ml milk 

5) Splash of water (this is the most description I could get out of the chef - 'turn the tap on and off quickly! It's less than the milk.) 

6) Fat for the tin.

7) Yorkshire pudding / muffin tin. 

 

1) Preheat 190 degrees.

2) Mix the plain flour, eggs and milk in a bowl into a smooth batter. Add small pinch of salt & splash of water.

3) Put a small bit of fat in the baking tin and put it in the oven to melt. 

4) Once it has melted, take out of oven and add your batter mix evenly.

5) Put back in oven for around 20 minutes!

 

SECRET TIP: Don't reopen your oven door to peak on them or prod them whilst they rise! They'll all deflate and you'll have sad looking Yorkshire Puddings as a result!

 

So there you have it! You can try & make your own, or do what this writer does and cheat with Aunt Bessies and tell no-one! They turn out perfect and are available in our stores here! Don't want to completely cheat but want an extra helping hand for amazing Yorkshire's? Try Aunt Bessies Bake at Home! 

Regardless, if you enjoy as part of a classic roast dinner, in Toad in the Hole, or with jam & cream as a snack - Happy National Yorkshire Pudding Day everyone! 

Let us know your Yorkshire Pudding top tips down below!