| For more years than I care to remember, along with | | | | When oven has reached its highest temperature, pop |
| many, many other British people I struggled to make | | | | the bun tin in the oven on the highest shelf to heat up. |
| the perfect Yorkshire Pudding. A classic British | | | | Meanwhile make the batter. |
| accompaniment to roast beef, traditionally served for | | | | 1 Egg |
| Sunday lunch, with all the family, but delicious served | | | | Plain (all purpose flour) |
| with any cooked meat. We British tend to copy other | | | | Semi skimmed milk |
| people's recipes for this dish, believing that they have | | | | 4 tsp Olive oil |
| the secret to a perfectly risen pudding. Unfortunately it | | | | Using a small cup, break the egg into it. |
| doesn't work like that. | | | | Take note of where it comes up to in the cup. |
| The reasons are we all have a slightly different heat in | | | | Mark the outside of the cup if it helps. |
| our ovens; we all use slightly different egg sizes, | | | | Tip the egg into a mixing bowl. |
| different flour and so on. | | | | Now pour the milk up to the same "egg line". |
| Just by luck I happened to be chatting away to a taxi | | | | Tip into the mixing bowl. |
| driver coming home one day from work whose | | | | Do the same procedure with the flour. |
| previous job was a chef. | | | | Whisk all three ingredients on fast speed with electric |
| He gave me his version of the illusive pudding. I tried it. | | | | whisk or mixer. |
| It worked. That was 15 years ago. | | | | Pour 4 equal amounts into a hot pudding or muffin tin. |
| I've since cooked it in every oven available to man, | | | | Bake for 15-20 minutes in a hot oven on the top shelf |
| including Aga cookers with no heat dials. It never fails. | | | | (the highest temperature your oven has) |
| The secret is simple: just make sure all the ingredients | | | | Make sure you leave room in the oven for the |
| measure the same, there's no weighing involved. | | | | puddings to rise. |
| Set the oven to its highest heat. | | | | Puddings should be well risen, light, fluffy and crispy |
| Put 1 tsp of oil into each bun hole (4 bun holes for this | | | | round the edges. |
| recipe) | | | | |