British Recipes > Westmorland Easter Ledge Pudding

How to make Westmorland Easter Ledge pudding:
This is a typical ancient recipe for a savory pudding based on the first emerging edible leaves of the spring. There is also some relationship between this recipe and the idea of eating bitter herbs as a cleansing exercise.





Ingredients

Ledge leaves (Persicaria) or Nettle or Dandelion leaves
1 egg, hard-boiled and chopped
seasoning
boiled barley
a little butter
(see measure conversions for more information)

Method

- Take young Easter-ledge leaves (or dandelion or nettle leaves).
- Wash well and drop into boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes.
- Strain and chop.
- Add a little boiled barley, the whole egg and a little butter and seasoning.
- Put the mixture into the saucepan and heat through.
- Turn into a pudding basin and press well down.
- Turn out onto a plate and serve with meat.