Hot Puddings: A great British tradition

Young cooks of Britain, I have a question to ask you.

Are you aware of our unmatched reputation - dating back to the 17th century - for making and serving a multitude of baked, boiled and steamed puddings? Our history of pudding-making is a joyous tradition of marrying and blending simple ingredients into a unique miscellany of tastes, textures and sweetness.

But what will happen to our glorious puddings now we are in the grip of an obsession with so-called healthy eating? Do we really need to write off this wonderful tradition that we have excelled at for centres? Long live puddings, is my message - a voice crying in the low-fat wilderness of the 21st century saying, please don't stop making and eating them!

See Delia's recipes for Hot Puddings here