There are as many ways to make rice pudding as there are grains in a bag – it is a popular dessert in one form or another all over the world. This version however is as basic as it gets, and is the one my Nan made when I was a kid – Saturday lunchtimes when I went to stay there were either Shepherds’ Pie or Lancashire Hotpot, with rice pudding to follow, and I looked forward to it all week. The smell of the nutmeg as it was lifted from the oven is something I remember to this day. The amount of nutmeg used may seem a trifle excessive, but it is absolutely essential – no other seasoning is required! Serve as it comes, or with cream, and a drizzle of honey does it no harm whatsoever.

01.

Ingredients

100g pudding rice
30g granulated sugar (brown works particularly well)
400ml milk
200g (half a can) evaporated milk
Butter
Nutmeg (it is far better to grate fresh from the nutmeg, but pre-grated is ok)

02.

Method

  • In a deep oven dish, mix the rice and the sugar, then pour on the milks and stir well. Grate the nutmeg over the top, enough so that you have a lovely ‘carpet’ over the pudding, then top that with flecks of butter. Carefully place in an oven heated to 150 degrees, and get on with whatever you were doing for 2 hours or so.
  • Give the dish a stir after 45 minutes, just to make sure the flavours are all nicely combined.
  • The pudding is ready when there is a lovely thick skin on the top and the rice is swollen and soft, smothered in the thick, creamy and sweet sauce. Be prepared to fight with the family over who gets the skin!