Ten Poems about Puddings

It was in 1719 that the French cook Henri Misson pronounced, “Blessed be he who invented puddings.”

Ten Poems about Puddings is introduced by food writer Nigel Slater (whom we unilaterally nominate for Pudding Laureate). The poems sings the praises of puddings large and small, hot and cold, sweet and savoury. Gooseberries are picked, apples peeled and currants weighed out carefully in the service of puddings and poetry.

Poets – including John Agard, Imtiaz Dharker and Julie O’Callaghan – have a lot to say on the subject of puddings. Moreover, as Nigel Slater says in his Introduction, the potential power of a good pudding to save the world should not be under-estimated “I sometimes wonder if it might actually stop a war. It might be worth a try.”

Ten Poems about Puddings is a must for all pudding lovers. By the time you have reached the last page, we hope that you will be unsure whether you have just eaten ten poems or read ten puddings. Either way, bon appétit!

Greedy Jane
‘Pudding and pie’
Said Jane: ‘O my!’
‘Which would you rather?’
Said her father.
‘Both,’ cried Jane,
Quite bold and plain.

Anon

Contents

John Agard, Forever Afters
Cathy Grindrod, How to make Apple Crumble
Amy Levy, At a Dinner Party
Grevel Lindop, Summer Pudding
Alexander Hutchison, Surprise, Surprise
Julie O’Callaghan, Preamble
Imtiaz Dharker, How to cut a pomegranate
Anon, O for a roly-poly Mother used to make…
Anon, Pease Pudding
Anon, The Christmas Pudding