Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes

| Cuisine of the United Kingdom

Jam Roly-Poly is a traditional British cuisine probably invented in the early 19th century . It is a flat-rolled suet pudding, which is then spread with jam and rolled up. In days past, Jam Roly-Poly was also known as shirt-sleeve pudding, because it was often steamed and served in an old shirt-sleeve. Because of this, another nickname for the pudding was dead-man's arm. Jam Roly-Poly features in Mrs Beeton's cookery book, as Roly-Poly Jam Pudding.

Ingredients

• 250 g (1 cup or 8 oz) self-rising flour
• pinch salt
• 125 g (½ cup or 4 oz) shredded suet
• 90-120 ml (6-8 tbsp) water
• 4 tbsp raspberry jam, warmed
• a little milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp caster sugar to glaze

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F or Gas Mark 6).
2. Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt. Add the suet and sufficient water to create a soft but not sticky dough.
3. Turn on to a floured board and roll out to a rectangle about 20×30 cm (8×12 inch).
4. Brush the pastry with the warmed jam, leaving a 1 cm (½ inch) border all round.
5. Fold in this border and brush with milk. With the short side towards you, roll up the pastry loosely and seal the ends well.
6. Place on a greased baking sheet, with the sealed edge underneath. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with caster sugar.
7. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
8. Remove from the oven, sprinkle on a little more sugar and serve hot with home-made English custard.

Alternative Recipe (Steamed)

• 200 g self-raising flour
• 100 g vegetable suet
• finely grated zest and juice 1 small lemon
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 2-4 tbsp milk or water
• 200 g red jam of your choice such as plum, cherry, raspberry or strawberry
• pinch salt
• custard or cream to serve.

Method

1. Stir the flour, suet, salt and lemon zest together then work to a firm dough with the lemon juice, egg and milk or water.
2. Roll out to a rectangle about 25 x 20.5 cm (10 x 8 in) and spread jam to within 2.5 cm (1 in) of the edges. Roll up starting from a short end and seal the edges well with a little water.
3. Set the roll on a sheet of well buttered foil and wrap, making sure you seal the ends well. If you are feeling traditional use cheese cloth or a shirt sleeve to steam in (see below).
4. Set in a steamer and steam for 2 hrs.