Cumquat Sussex pond

Method

1. For the pudding dough, blitz the flour, sugar, salt and suet in a food processor to form a texture like breadcrumbs. Stir the whisked egg into the flour mixture. Add a few drops of iced water and bring the dough together by hand. Tip the contents of the bowl onto a work surface and knead the dough until it’s firm and smooth. Grease a 12 cm pudding basin with butter.
2. Roll out the dough to a 5 mm thickness and line the basin. Re-roll the remaining pastry and cut a lid large enough to fit across the top of the basin, and be crimped to seal.
3. For the cumquats, cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer.
4. Prick the cumquats all over and mix them in a bowl with the creamed butter and sugar. Pile the mixture high in the pastry-lined basin as it will shrink during cooking. Place the dough lid on top and crimp the edges to seal the pastry. Cover with a buttered piece of baking paper and then some aluminium foil, and tie with string around the basin to secure. Cover again with foil.
5. Place the basin in a large saucepan, sitting on a trivet. Fill the pan with boiling water to reach two-thirds of the way up the side of the basin. Place the lid on the pan and steam for 2 1/2–3 hours, with the water boiling constantly.
6. Unmould the pudding straight from the steamer onto a serving plate while it’s piping hot, or it will sink. Spoon it into bowls and serve with cream.