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In The Compleat Cook (1681), Rebecca Price’s recipe begins: “Take a twopenny lofe grated; and the same quantity of raw caret grated very small.” The key word there is “raw”. Most 18th-century recipes for carrot pudding, such as Henry Howard’s in England’s Newest Way (1703), suggest boiling the carrots.

However, this recipe uses uncooked carrots for a more rustic texture. It’s a blissful blend of a number of historical puddings – the pie is lined with puff pastry, as Howard suggested, and has pinches of nutmeg and cinnamon, as featured in Eliza Smith’s version in The Compleat Housewife (1727). The result is a scrumptious afternoon or after-dinner treat.

  • 4 Egg yolks
  • 2 Egg whites
  • 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
  • 50g Raw sugar
  • 170g Grated carrot
  • 2tbsp Dry sherry
  • 150ml Double cream
  • 120g Fresh breadcrumbs
  • 100g Melted butter
  • 1/2 sheet or block puff pastry

    Method

    • step 1

      Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Beat the egg yolks and white in a bowl with the spices and the raw sugar. Add the grated carrots, sherry, and double cream.

    • step 2

      Fold in the breadcrumbs and melted butter, combining well with a wooden spoon to make a thick batter.

    • step 3

      Line the pie dish with the puff pastry, then pour in the batter.

    • step 4

      Bake at the bottom of the oven for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is nice and golden.

    Discover more historical recipes, including:

    Recipe sourced from Pride and Pudding: The History of British Puddings, Savoury and Sweet, by Regula Ysewijn (Murdoch Books, 2nd edition, 2022)

    This article was first published in the September 2022 issue of BBC History Magazine

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