It’s said that cooking is an art and baking is a science, but in the case of a traditional roast dinner, it could be argued that a methodical, scientific approach is needed - especially when it comes to those all important timings. One aspect of a Sunday dinner that’s especially important is the Yorkshire pudding, something chef Robert Owen knows all too well.
Head Chef at Mount Street Dining Room & Bar within the Midland Hotel in Manchester, he’s only been in the position a few months, but has already been putting his stamp on the menu by making sure the restaurant’s Sunday roast is up to scratch. With roast season now in full swing, he invited us down to see behind the scenes to quiz him on the secrets behind the perfect Yorkshire pudding.
But, before we dive in, a little history about the origins of the mighty pudding. It was back in 1737 that the first recipe for ‘dripping pudding’, as it was known then, surfaced in a book titled The Whole Duty of a Woman. As wheat flour came into common use, cooks in the north of England started making batter puddings to capture the fat that dropped into the dripping pan when spit-roasting meats.
