In the Club

John Greeves pays homage to the great British pudding

- John Greeves

British puddings are more than just desserts; they are edible history and remain a constant in our ever-changing world. For the last 40 years, the Pudding Club has met at the Three Ways House Hotel (01386 438429, threewayshousehotel.com/the-pudding-club), in the village of Mickleton, in the rolling hills of the Cotswolds to preserve the great British Pudding.

The 1980s was a period of culinary change, great British puddings such as treacle pudding, jam roly-poly and spotted dick were being deposed by newcomers like black forest gateau, cheesecake and tiramisu, as well as off the shelf convenience puddings, something had to be done to save our great British pudding.

At the start, a small group of friends responded to the rallying cry and met once a month in the hotel and, after a light meal, sampled the delights of seven traditional British puddings with lashings of custard. Numbers grew year by year, as guests clamoured for their childhood favourites. Today, the Pudding Club meets every Friday at 7pm and hosts up to 64 guests in the Terrace Room.

The club has a national and international following, attracting people from all walks of life who come from all over Britain, the US, Australia, Japan and South Africa, in fact, the Pudding Club now encompasses a worldwide guest list. What unites them all is their love for the traditional British pudding. One aficionado has described it as “the eighth wonder of the world.” Rick Stein is a known follower of this eccentric pastime, and the Pudding Club has also attracted the likes of Lynda Bellingham, Rustie Lee and the globetrotting Michael Palin, who doubtlessly wishes to encounter the eighth wonder of the world for himself.