Ingredient

Suet

Suet is the hard fat from around the kidneys of beef or lamb, and it has a higher melting point than any other kitchen fat. That single property is what makes steamed puddings, dumplings and mincemeat work, and nothing else substitutes for it cleanly.

Why the melting point matters

In a suet crust, small pieces of hard fat sit distributed through the flour. When the pudding steams, the flour around each piece sets before the fat melts, so each piece leaves a small pocket behind. The result is the light, open, slightly spongy texture that a suet crust has and a shortcrust does not.

Butter melts too early. The fat runs into the flour before the structure has set, giving a denser, shorter, greasier result — closer to a shortcrust than to a suet crust.

The same principle makes dumplings rise in a stew and gives mincemeat its texture, and it is why suet recipes say to keep everything cold and handle it as little as possible.

The forms it comes in

Shredded beef suet

The standard packet product — shredded and coated in a little flour so it does not clump. Ready to use.

Fresh suet from a butcher

The raw fat from around the kidneys. Must be grated, ideally frozen first. Better flavour and more work.

Vegetarian suet

Usually palm and sunflower oil hardened and shredded. Behaves similarly enough for puddings and dumplings; slightly different flavour and texture.

Lamb suet

Stronger flavoured, traditional in some regional dishes. Less commonly sold.

Not the same as lard

Lard is rendered and soft. Suet is unrendered and hard, and the two are not interchangeable in a pudding.

What it is for

• Steak and kidney pudding, the definitive suet dish, steamed for hours in a basin.
• Dumplings dropped into a stew for the last twenty minutes.
• Jam roly-poly, spotted dick and treacle sponge — the British steamed pudding tradition.
• Christmas pudding, where it also helps the pudding keep.
• Mincemeat, where it gives body and the traditional texture.
• Suet crust for a savoury pie, lining a basin rather than a tin.
• Bird feed in winter, which is where most household suet actually goes.

Making a suet crust

1. Use self-raising flour, or plain flour with baking powder. Suet crust needs a raising agent — it is not a shortcrust.
2. Mix flour, suet and salt together dry. Do not rub it in; the pieces should stay distinct.
3. Add cold water gradually and bring it together with a knife until it forms a soft, slightly sticky dough.
4. Handle it as little as possible. Overworking melts the fat and toughens the gluten.
5. Roll it thicker than you would a shortcrust — it needs body to hold a filling through a long steam.
6. Line the basin, fill it, and cover with a lid of the same dough, sealing the edge with water.
7. Cover with pleated paper and foil, tie it, and steam. The pleat gives the pudding room to rise.

Common questions