Spotted Dick with Vanilla Custard

Ingredients

- 200g self-raising flour
- 100g shredded suet
- 100g caster sugar
- 100g currants
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 150ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. To start, preheat your oven to 180C and grease a pudding basin. In a large mixing bowl, combine the self-raising flour, shredded suet, caster sugar, currants, and lemon zest. Mix well until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
   
   2, Next, slowly add the milk and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients, stirring gently until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the greased pudding basin and cover with a double layer of greaseproof paper and foil, securing with string.
   
   3. Place the pudding basin in a roasting tin filled with boiling water, making sure the water comes halfway up the sides of the basin. Pop it in the oven and let it steam for about an hour, or until the pudding is cooked through.
   
   4. While the Spotted Dick is steaming away, it's time to whip up some delicious vanilla custard to go with it. In a saucepan, heat 300ml of milk until just simmering. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 egg yolks, 2 tbsp of caster sugar, and a splash of vanilla extract.
   
   5. Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return the custard to the saucepan and heat gently, stirring continuously until it thickens. Be sure not to let it boil, or you'll end up with scrambled eggs instead of smooth custard!
   
   Once the Spotted Dick is cooked and the custard is ready, it's time to serve up this delightful dessert. Spoon generous helpings of the warm, steamed pudding onto plates and drizzle with the creamy vanilla custard.