Melanie Makes Meringues Melanie Makes Meringues

Cutting + sticking + sewing + baking. My creative life.

Sussex Pond Pudding

I am proudly Sussex (actually my heritage is Anglo-Indian so I am also proudly Secunderabad).  This year I had every intention of celebrating Sussex Day but I have missed it, it was on 16th June!  Oh well, next year I suppose.  The event takes place on St Richard’s Day, the feast day of Saint Richard of Chichester, Sussex’s patron saint.  Richard lived an exceptional life and was persecuted by King Henry III, one of the things of personal interest to me is that the prayer that was adapted for one of my favourite musicals, Godspell, as the song Day by Day is ascribed to him: –

Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ

For all the benefits Thou hast given me,
For all the pains and insults Thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,
May I know Thee more clearly,
Love Thee more dearly,
Follow Thee more nearly.

As a belated celebration here is the food of my people, Sussex Pond Pudding.  To be fair I don’t know of any Sussex folk who regularly partake of Sussex Pond Pudding.  It consists of a suet pastry filled with butter and sugar and a whole lemon which is steamed for several hours.

When the pudding is turned out it makes a lovely pond of buttery caramel.  It might not be what you would call a light dessert but it is delicious.  It would go down nicely on 16th June after a nice game of stoolball.

“We wunt be druv” is the unofficial county motto of Sussex. It is a Sussex dialect phrase meaning “we will not be driven”. The motto asserts that people of Sussex have minds of their own, and cannot be forced against their will or told what to do.  I have found this to be accurate.
Love Melanie Xx

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