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The Accidental Pudding

The Bakewell Pudding is said to have been created totally by accident in the 1860’s. During this time Bakewell’s coaching inn was the White Horse (now called the Rutland Arms) and Mrs Graves was the landlady of the inn at the time.

The original Bakewell Pudding

Mrs Graves normally did all the cooking but on one particular day, when she was occupied entertaining important guests she delegated this task to her assistant cook. The noblemen visiting the inn had asked for strawberry tart but the inexperienced cook omitted the egg and sugar while making the pastry, spread the jam over the unusual pastry base and then the egg and sugar mixture was put on top. According to local legend another ‘secret ingredient’ was also added. This new dish though was a huge hit with the noblemen and the Bakewell Pudding was born.

Or is it really from the Middle Ages?

However, local legend has it that it was eaten as far back as the 1500s at Haddon Hall and that it was the favourite dish of Lady Dorothy Vernon who eloped in 1563. Others have claimed that the Bakewell Pudding goes back to the Middle Ages and probably originated in France. Personally I think that it was a culinary feat of the inexperienced cook from the White Horse in Bakewell, Derbyshire.

Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop [1] in Derbyshire still make and sell the Bakewell Pudding by hand according to the secret recipe and they are sold all over the world.

The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop still make and sell the pudding today according to the 'secret recipe'

I have found a recipe for Bakewell Pudding – is it the real one? – which can be seen on the new website Mydish [2] Does anyone have any different recipes for this? If so please post them on the Mydish site. I’ve created a group on Mydish for Derbyshire recipes from Derbyshire people [3] and welcome any contributions.

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County:  Derbyshire

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