Sussex Pond Pudding

Make the suet pastry. Sift the flour into a bowl, add the suet and a pinch of salt. Mix together well and sprink over a little of the water and milk. Bring together with a palette knife. Continue adding water until the starts to come together. Use your hands to work the dough to an elastic consistency. Keep back quarter of the pastry (to form the lid) and roll out the rest on a lightly floured surface to a round of about 25cm. Take a large pudding basin of around 11.5cm deep and grease well with butter. Lift the rolled out pastry carefully into the pudding basin and ensure it is well pressed around to form the lining allowing it to come just above the rim of the basin.

Place half of the butter and soft brown sugar into the suet lined basin. Prick the outside of the lemon with a skewer or sharp knife and place on top of the sugar and butter already in the basin. Pack the remaining butter and sugar around the lemon.

Roll out the reserved pastry to form a lid for the pudding. Moisten to top of the lining and the edges of the pudding lid. Place the lid over the pudding and pinch together to form a good seal. Trim of any excess pastry and discard.

Take a double sheet of foil and form a pleat across the middle. Cover the top of the pudding and tie well in place with kitchen string. Form a handle with string to make it easy to lift the pudding out of the steamer when cooked.

Partly fill a large pan with boiling water and place a steamer on top. Bring the water back to the boil and place the pudding in the steamer and steam for three to three and half hours. Check the water every thirty minutes to make sure it doesn't boil dry.

When cooked, remove the cover carefully and place a serving plate on top of the pudding. Invert the pudding and plate and gently lift off the basin.