Recipe Manuscript

New Colledge Puddings

Name: New Colledge Puddings
Prep time: PTPT20M
Cook time: PTPT30M
Yield: 10
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 240 g white bread crumbs (from about 3 medium rolls); 225 g beef suet, finely minced (or vegetable suet); 225 g dried currants; 1 whole nutmeg, grated; 1 pinch salt; 100 ml double cream; 3 large eggs; 115 g unsalted butter; 60 ml sweet sherry (or substitute: Marsala or Madeira); 2 tbsp granulated sugar (for sauce); 2 tbsp unsalted butter (for sauce); Superfine sugar, for dusting

1703

From the treasured pages of The Lady Cravens Receipt Book

Written by Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Intermediate Dessert

Original Recipe • 1703

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

New Colledge Puddings

"Take 3: halfe penny Loaves and grate them, and put halfe a pound of Beef suett minced very small, halfe a pound of Currants, one Nutmeg, salt, & as much Cream and Eggs as will make it into a paist then make them in ye ffashion of an Egg. Put ym into ye Dish or stew pan, yt you Bake ym in, with a quarter of a pound of Butter, sett ye pan over a Close Charcole-fire, make ym brown all over. The sauce must be sack Sugar, & Butter, pour this on ym & scrape over fine Sugar."

Note on the Original Text

Recipes like this were written in a telegraphic style: brief, with steps implied rather than spelled out, since experienced household cooks knew the techniques. Quantities were often given by loaf or penny-worth, rather than precise weights — a reflection both of measurement conventions and the cook’s presumed intuition. Spelling in the manuscript is playful: 'ye' for 'the', 'oy,' and 'ym' for 'them' — all typical shorthand of the period. Abbreviations and idiosyncratic spellings abound, so modern cooks must interpret both language and intent. The result is a historical recipe that's a delightful riddle: accessible, once decoded, and deliciously redolent of its time.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

The Lady Cravens Receipt Book - Click to view recipe in book

Title

The Lady Cravens Receipt Book (1703)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven

Era

1703

Publisher

Coome Abbey

Background

A delectable manuscript brimming with 18th-century English delights, Lady Craven's receipt book whisks readers from luscious cakes and puddings to savory feasts and creamy cheeses. Elegantly organized and sprinkled with recipes from an illustrious social circle, this culinary collection offers a sumptuous taste of aristocratic home economics.

Kindly made available by

Penn State University

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe appears in Lady Craven's receipt book, dating to between 1702 and 1704 — a time when English country house kitchens were brimming with both imported luxuries and local provisions. Puddings, especially those inspired by Oxford's 'New College', were elegant fare for genteel tables, reflecting the era's penchant for richly spiced, fruit-laden treats. The manuscript itself, attributed to Lady Elizabeth Craven, offers a fascinating peek at upper-class 18th-century English cookery: handwritten, passed among women of status, and full of recipes both shared and borrowed across notable homes. These puddings are at once celebratory and comforting, their convivial richness sharpened by the inclusion of sack wine in the sauce, a flourish straight from the Restoration larder.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In the early 18th century, these puddings would have been made using a grater for the bread, a sharp knife for mincing suet, and a sturdy wooden spoon for mixing. The shaping was done by hand — ovals mimicking eggs, perhaps as a playful nod to fertility or abundance. Cooking took place over a charcoal fire, with puddings browned in a heavy, lidded metal dish or stewpan. The controlled heat of a 'close Charcole-fire' allowed gradual cooking and a crisp crust. The sauce would be mixed in a small pot over embers, and all was served straight from the pan, with sugar freshly scraped atop using a grater or sugar nippers.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

8 oz white bread crumbs (from about 3 medium rolls)
8 oz beef suet, finely minced (or vegetable suet)
8 oz dried currants
1 whole nutmeg, grated
1 pinch salt
3 1/2 fl oz double cream
3 large eggs
4 oz unsalted butter
2 fl oz sweet sherry (or substitute: Marsala or Madeira)
2 tbsp granulated sugar (for sauce)
2 tbsp unsalted butter (for sauce)
Superfine sugar, for dusting

Instructions

To make New College Puddings today, start by grating about 3 medium-sized white bread rolls (each about 3 oz), giving you around 8 oz of bread crumbs.
Mix them with 8 oz of finely chopped beef suet (or shredded vegetable suet for a vegetarian twist), 8 oz of dried currants, and the grated zest of one whole nutmeg.
Add a healthy pinch of salt for seasoning.
In a bowl, whisk together 3 1/2 fl oz of double cream and about 3 large eggs.
Pour this into the dry mixture, mixing until a firm but mouldable dough forms — adding a touch more cream or egg if needed.
Shape the mixture into large oval balls, each roughly the size of an egg.
Melt 4 oz of unsalted butter in a heavy, oven-safe frying pan and arrange the puddings inside.
Brown them over a low, controlled stovetop heat (to mimic old charcoal fires), rotating to colour evenly.
Finish baking them in a moderate oven at 350°F until golden and puffed (about 20–25 minutes).
For the sauce, in a small pan, combine 2 fl oz sweet sherry (or 'sack' wine), 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of butter.
Warm gently until dissolved and glossy.
Pour this sauce over the hot puddings and dust generously with superfine sugar before serving.

Estimated Calories

470 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes about 20 minutes to prepare the dough and shape the puddings. Cooking them—first on the stovetop for browning, then in the oven for baking—takes around 30 minutes in total. Each serving contains about 470 calories, and you will get 10 puddings from this recipe.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.