Clootie dumpling
Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Maja Smend
Clootie dumpling
This spiced, fruit-laden pudding dates back to the 18th century. The name ‘clootie’ or ‘cloot’ comes from the old Scottish word for ‘cloth’, referring to the muslin the dumpling is cooked in. Charms, such as a ring or thimble, were traditionally stirred through the mixture, each with a meaning and giving an insight into the diner’s future. Nowadays, you can enjoy clootie dumpling as a less rich alternative to Christmas pudding, and without the risk of damaging your teeth
Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (serving)
Calories
524Kcal
Fat
21gr
Saturates
11gr
Carbs
80gr
Sugars
41gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
7gr
Salt
1.2gr
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Ingredients
- 175g self-raising flour, plus extra to dust
- 175g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 ½ tsp mixed spice
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 175g shredded beef suet
- 100g dark brown soft sugar
- 200g sultanas
- 75g currants
- 1 apple, coarsely grated
- 2 tbsp black treacle
- 150ml buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- sunflower oil, to grease
- custard or ice cream, to serve
You will also need
- a large piece of muslin (or a clean tea towel) and kitchen string
Step by step
- Take a large piece of muslin or a clean tea towel and submerge it in a bowl of boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain; set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients from the flour down to the apple in a large bowl, mixing well. Use a fork to whisk together the treacle, buttermilk and egg until blended. Stir into the dry ingredients with a cutlery knife until you have a soft, sticky dough with a dropping consistency.
- Place a trivet or an upturned, heatproof plate in the base of your largest saucepan, then fill the saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Squeeze the excess water out from the muslin and lay it on your work surface. Top with two sheets of baking paper in a cross, then grease with oil.
- Dust the greased baking paper with flour (this helps form the characteristic ‘skin’ of clootie dumpling), then shape the dough into a round with your hands and place in the centre of the cross. Wrap with the paper and tie at the top with string. Trim off any excess paper and string, then wrap in the muslin or tea towel and secure with string in the same way. Reduce the pan of boiling water to a simmer, then lower the pudding into the pan, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook gently for 3 hours until firm.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Lift the pudding out of the pan, then transfer to a colander to drain. Carefully untie the string and peel off the cloth and paper. Place in an ovenproof dish and bake for 15 minutes to dry and produce the ‘skin’. Slice into wedges and serve with custard or ice cream.
