Chef Thomas
Blackberry and Apple Crumble
Wild blackberries and Bramley apples collapsed together under a thick, sandy crumble, the pudding that makes September feel like it's worth staying in for.
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Chef Thomas
Cambridge Burnt Cream
A cold vanilla custard hidden beneath a thin sheet of burnt sugar that cracks under the spoon, the pudding Trinity College has been serving since 1879 and the reason to keep a blowtorch in the drawer.
Chef Thomas
Semolina Pudding with Jam
A bowl of semolina cooked slowly in good milk, thick and creamy and softly vanilla-scented, with a blob of raspberry jam stirred through at the last minute so the pudding blushes pink in streaks.
Chef Thomas
Queen of Puddings
Lemon-scented breadcrumb custard baked until just set, spread with a jar of last summer's raspberry jam, and crowned with soft meringue taken back to the oven until the peaks turn pale gold.
Chef Thomas
Apple Charlotte
Buttered bread baked to a deep mahogany around a filling of spiced Bramley apples, turned out at the table in a small moment of drama, cold cream poured from a jug alongside.
Chef Thomas
Steamed Ginger Pudding
A dark, sticky steamed sponge shot through with stem ginger and treacle, the kind of pudding that makes an October evening feel like it was always going to end this way.
Chef Thomas
Steamed Marmalade Pudding
A steamed sponge turned out warm onto a deep plate, marmalade running down the sides in sticky amber rivers, the whole thing smelling of bitter oranges and a January afternoon.
Chef Thomas
Baked Apples with Dried Fruit
Whole Bramley apples cored and stuffed with butter, brown sugar and plump dried fruit, baked until they collapse and the kitchen fills with the smell of autumn getting on with itself.
Chef Thomas
Damson Crumble
Wild damsons baked beneath a buttery, almond-flecked crumble until they burst and stain the whole dish a deep, inky purple. A short September pudding, worth the fortnight it's good for.
Chef Thomas
Classic Apple Crumble
A proper apple crumble of sharp Bramleys and a rubbled, buttery top, baked until the fruit bubbles purple at the edges and the kitchen smells like the reason you came home.
Chef Thomas
Jam Roly-Poly
A sheet of soft suet pastry rolled around raspberry jam and steamed until it swells into something pale, sticky and quietly splendid. A January pudding for an evening that needs one.
Chef Thomas
Rhubarb Fool
Forced rhubarb stewed with orange and vanilla, folded through cold whipped cream in pink and white ribbons. The first proper colour of the new year, spooned into a glass.
Chef Thomas
Rhubarb Crumble with Ginger
Forced rhubarb baked under a gingered crumble until the juices bubble up pink through the cracks, the kind of pudding that makes a February evening feel like it was going somewhere all along.
Chef Thomas
Sussex Pond Pudding
A whole lemon wrapped in suet pastry and steamed for the best part of an afternoon, until it collapses into a buttery, sticky pond of sauce that spills out when you cut it at the table.
Chef Thomas
Eton Mess
A summer dessert of crushed meringue, softly whipped cream, and strawberries still warm from the garden, thrown together without ceremony and eaten while the cricket is still on.
Chef Thomas
Self-Saucing Lemon Pudding
A warm lemon pudding that bakes itself into two layers, a soft golden sponge on top and a pool of sharp-sweet curd beneath, the kind of dish that turns a Tuesday in January into an occasion.
Chef Thomas
Cranachan
Toasted oats, whisky-loosened cream, heather honey, and fresh raspberries layered in a glass. Scotland's harvest pudding, and one of the more honest ways I know to end an August evening.
Chef Thomas
Christmas Pudding
A dark, dense fruit pudding soaked in stout and brandy, stirred on Stir-up Sunday, fed quietly through the long run-up to Christmas, and set alight at the table on the day itself.
Chef Thomas
Plum Crumble with Oat Topping
Victoria plums under a rubbly crumble of oats and demerara, baked until the juices bubble up dark and sticky through the golden topping. A late summer pudding that asks very little and gives back a great deal.
Chef Thomas
Clootie Dumpling
A long-boiled Scottish pudding of spiced fruit and suet, wrapped in a floured cloth until it grows a dark, papery skin, served in thick wedges with cold cream on a winter night.
Chef Thomas
Eve's Pudding
A simple pudding of sharp Bramley apples baked under a buttery sponge lid, turning golden on top while the fruit beneath collapses into something warm and generous.
Chef Thomas
Gooseberry Fool
Stewed green gooseberries folded through softly whipped cream, a British pudding from the 1500s that tastes of early summer and asks almost nothing of you except a quiet half hour.
Chef Thomas
Lemon Syllabub
A pale, billowy cloud of cream whipped with white wine and lemon, cold and boozy and old-fashioned, the kind of pudding you spoon slowly and wish you'd made twice as much of.
Chef Thomas
Gooseberry Crumble
Sharp, fat gooseberries collapsing into their own juices beneath a craggy oat crumble, the kind of pudding that only makes sense for six weeks a year and rewards you for paying attention.
Chef Thomas
Pear and Ginger Crumble
A warm October crumble of Conference pears and stem ginger under a brown sugar topping, the kind of pudding that makes a Sunday evening feel like somewhere you want to be.
Chef Thomas
English Sherry Trifle
A proper English trifle built in layers on a cold December afternoon: sponge drunk on good sherry, custard made by hand, raspberries, and softly whipped cream on top. No jelly. No apology.
Chef Thomas
Sticky Toffee Pudding
A dark, date-rich sponge drenched in hot toffee sauce until it gives way entirely to the spoon, served with cold cream that melts into the warmth. The most requested pudding in Britain, and for good reason.
Chef Thomas
Bread and Butter Pudding
A deep dish of buttered bread, raisins, and vanilla custard baked until the top goes crackly and the middle still trembles. The quietest kind of comfort, made from almost nothing.
Chef Thomas
Baked Rice Pudding
A proper baked rice pudding, slow-cooked in whole milk with butter and nutmeg until the top sets into a freckled golden skin. The kind of pudding that makes January feel like less of a long haul.
Chef Thomas
Summer Pudding
A bread-lined basin filled with stewed summer berries and pressed overnight, turned out the next day as a deep ruby dome with cold cream pooling beside it.
Chef Thomas
Lemon Posset
A bright, silky posset of cream, sugar, and lemon set cold in small pots. Three ingredients, ten minutes at the hob, and a pudding that makes a dinner party look deliberate.
Chef Thomas
Rhubarb and Custard
Forced Yorkshire rhubarb, stewed until pink and sharp, drowned in proper vanilla custard. A pudding that only makes sense between January and March, and only deserves the best of both.
Chef Thomas
Spotted Dick
A steamed suet pudding studded with currants and lemon zest, turned out in a warm golden dome and drowned in custard, the kind of thing you make when the weather has finally given up pretending.
Chef Thomas
Treacle Sponge Pudding
A steamed sponge pudding with golden syrup pooling down its sides, served with proper vanilla custard. The pudding to make when the clocks have gone back and the kitchen window has fogged over.
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