Ingredients

• 350g/12oz self-raising flour
• salt and freshly milled black pepper
• 175g/6oz shredded beef suet
• cold water
• to mix
• 560g/1¼lb chuck steak
• 225g/8oz ox kidney after trimming (so buy 275g/10oz)
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium onion
• sliced
• cold water
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• meat trimmings from the steak and kidney
• 1 onion
• halved
• 570ml/1 pint water
• 1 tsp beef dripping
• 2 tbsp flour
• few drops Worcestershire sauce
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• For the pastry
• first sift the flour and the salt into a large mixing bowl. Add some freshly ground black pepper
• then add the suet and mix it into the flour using the blade of a knife. When it's evenly blended
• add a few drops of cold water and start to mix with the knife
• using curving movements and turning the mixture around. The aim is to bring it together as a dough
• so keep adding drops of water until it begins to get really claggy and sticky. Now abandon the knife
• go in with your hands and bring it all together until you have a nice smooth elastic dough
• which leaves the bowl clean. It's worth noting that suet pastry always needs more water than other types
• so if it is still a bit dry just go on adding a few drops at a time.
• After that
• take a quarter of the dough for the lid
• then roll the rest out fairly thickly. What you need is a circle
• about 32.5cm/13in in diameter. Now line the bowl with the pastry
• pressing it well all around. Next chop the steak and kidney into fairly small cubes (reserving the trimmings for the gravy)
• toss them in the seasoned flour
• then add them to the pastry-lined basin with the slices of onion. Add enough cold water to reach almost the top of the meat and sprinkle in a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and another seasoning of salt and pepper.
• Roll out the pastry lid
• dampen its edges and put it in position on the pudding. Seal well and cover with a double sheet of foil
• pleated in the centre to allow room for expansion while cooking. Now secure it with string
• making a little handle so that you can lift it out of the hot steamer. Then place it in a steamer over boiling water. Steam for five hours
• topping up the boiling water halfway through.
• For the gravy
• simply place the meat trimmings in a saucepan with the half onion
• cover with one pint of water
• add some seasoning and simmer for approximately one hour. Then strain the stock
• and in the same pan
• fry the remaining onion
• chopped small
• in the beef dripping until soft and blackened at the edges. Then stir in the flour
• gradually add the stock little by little to make a smooth gravy
• adding a spot of gravy browning if it's needed. Taste to check the seasoning and add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce.
• To serve
• either serve the pudding by spooning portions straight out of the bowl
• or slide a palette knife round the edge and turn the whole thing out on to a serving plate (which is more fun!).