Bacon and Onion Roly Poly Pudding

Bacon Roly Poly Recipe

An old-fashioned and traditional British recipe that was very popular in the 1960s.

It's also called bacon and onion suet pudding or simply bacon pudding.

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*Post updated August 2022*

I was involved in a campaign called 'Cooking through the Decades' in which they challenged food bloggers to cook a recipe from Britain’s past or present over the past 100 years from the 1920s to 2010.

I was allocated the 60s which is great as I was born in 1962 (oh my, I feel so old) but I do remember quite a bit about the 60s especially the kind of food we ate.

This is my all-time favourite dinner from my childhood!

Bacon and Onion Roly Poly 

The pudding is made with suet pastry, bacon and onions are added, and then you roll it up like a Swiss roll (think suet dumpling with a bacon and onion filling). It's then steamed for about 2 and a half hours.

*Update, at the time of writing 

I noticed on the BBC TV series 'Back in Time for Tea' that they cooked this while they were in 1937, but they boiled it (as my nan would have) if you steam it instead, it's far better and doesn't end up soggy! 😉

No fancy ingredients are added, and it's simply seasoned with white pepper, but this is good stuff.

Until this challenge was given to me, I'd never actually made it myself, but it tasted just as good as I remember.

In the program, each decade sees iconic dishes that were popular at the time, whether because of necessity.

The dish Bubble and squeak came from the need to be thrifty during the Second World War.

The 1960's

In the sixties, the younger generation was ready to start enjoying themselves again.

Music, miniskirts and swinging London encouraged people to spend more money, while cheaper flights meant more exposure to foreign influences; especially in the kitchen.

The average house price in the UK was £2,530 and most houses now had a refrigerator and a cooker.

Sliced bread went on sale and a loaf cost 5 pence.

The ever-popular television program Coronation Street first aired in December 1960 and Dr Who appeared on our television screens at the end of 1963.

BBC2 was the first channel to have colour in 1967 and broadcast its first colour pictures from Wimbledon in 1967.

Sindy and Tiny Tears Dolls

Sindy Doll and Tiny Tears were just the best toy dolls any little girl could wish for.

I remember getting Tiny Tears one Christmas and by Boxing Day I'd given her a haircut. 😱

I can't believe I did that, but I did. I've just checked with her and my mum still has my Tiny Tears doll!

I've always had an interest in food and cooking. I remember watching Graham Kerr's cooking program with my mum called 'The Galloping Gourmet' and I absolutely loved it. Does anyone else remember that program?

Anyone on a trip down memory lane might remember Old Fashioned Bread Pudding.

Anyway, back to the Bacon and Onion Roly Poly Pudding!

How to make a bacon suet pudding

Roll out the dough and add the sliced onions and bacon.

Flour a clean muslin cloth put the pudding onto the cloth and roll it up.

Tie both ends with string and place the pudding into a steamer basket.

Cover and steam for 2 and a half hours taking care the water doesn't boil dry.

Slice the pudding and serve with potatoes, peas, and gravy. 

Simple, delicious and filling.

I really enjoyed taking part in this challenge and can't wait to see what decade other bloggers were picked for and what dishes they came up with!

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

bacon and onion roly poly, bacon suet pudding, traditional bacon suet pudding, suet pudding recipe

Main

English

Yield: 3-4

Author: Jan Bennett

Bacon Roly Poly Pudding

Traditional Roly-Poly pudding is made with suet pastry, bacon and onions and then rolled up like a Swiss roll and steamed, not baked, for about 2 and a half hours.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 2 H & 29 MTotal time: 2 H & 39 M

Ingredients

• 220g self raising flour
• 120g suet - I use Atora
• 180ml water
• a couple of pinches of salt
• 6 rashers of back bacon - trimmed of any fat
• 1 medium-sized onion
• white pepper

Instructions

1. Slice the onion thinly and cut the bacon into bite-size pieces.
2. Put the flour, suet and salt into a large mixing bowl and mix together. Add the water and stir to mix well.
3. On a floured worktop, roll the pastry into an oblong to about 1 cm thickness.
4. Put the bacon and onion over the pastry and sprinkle with a little white pepper and roll up like a Swiss roll.
5. Now flour a clean muslin cloth and put the pudding on the cloth and roll it up like a Swiss roll.
6. Tie both ends with string and place the pudding into a steamer basket.
7. Cover and steam for 2 and a half hours taking care that the water doesn't boil dry.
8. Slice the pudding and serve with potatoes, peas and gravy.

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