The Art of the Yorkshire Pudding: A British Classic
The Yorkshire pudding began as a thrifty trick. Cooks in the north of England poured batter into the drippings beneath the roast and served it first with gravy to fill hungry stomachs. It has since moved from the opening act to the main plate. Anyone hunting for the best Sunday lunch East Sussex has to offer will find it sitting right beside the beef.
Everyone talks about the joint. The roast potatoes get their praise and the gravy has loyal fans. The Yorkshire pudding is the quiet one that vanishes first. Guests often tell us it is the part they look forward to most.
On our Sunday roast plate it stands apart from everything else. It has its own height and its own colour. A tall golden rim tells you plenty about a kitchen before you lift a fork. Our post on what makes Sussex beef different covers the joint itself. This one is about the pudding next to it.
What makes a proper Yorkshire pudding
The ingredients are eggs and flour with milk and hot fat. Nothing else is needed. That is why the result shows so clearly whether a cook knows what they are doing.
A good one has crisp edges and a deep golden colour. The sides rise high and the middle stays soft enough to hold gravy. A pale or flat pudding usually points to a cool tin or a rushed batter. A greasy one points to fat that was not hot enough when the batter went in.
The technique behind the rise
The fat has to be smoking hot before the batter touches it. The sizzle when the batter hits the tin is the first sign of a good rise. The batter should rest for a while so the flour can relax. It should also be at room temperature rather than straight from the fridge.
Then comes the hard part. The oven door stays shut. Opening it lets the heat escape and the pudding sinks. The steam inside the batter does the lifting and it needs a steady blast of heat to manage it.
Our approach
Our restaurant was built on the idea of great cooking using the very best ingredients. A Yorkshire pudding fits that idea well. It has only a handful of ingredients.
Our Head Chef's French training shapes everything on the menu from the seafood platter to steak frites. It also gives a British classic the same care. In our experience a kitchen that respects the small things tends to get the big things right too.
Best serve
Eat it hot and eat it fast. Tear the pudding open and let the gravy pool in the middle. Add a piece of beef and a little horseradish if you like the heat. Keep one corner back for the last of the gravy on the plate.
Some practical points before you come. Every guest at weekend lunch is asked to order a main course. Children aged six and over are welcome at lunch. Dogs are welcome in the Sitting Room and the Bar at lunch only and are not permitted in the main dining room.
Try it this Sunday
The roast runs on Sundays alongside the full à la carte. You will find us opposite the beach car park as you come into Camber. Details of the joint and the trimmings are on our Weekend Roast page. Tables can be reserved directly on our Book a Table page. Reading recent reviews first is always a good idea.
