British desserts are truly exceptional. From the sweetness of a crumble to the rich and creamy Cranachan, there’s just something about the way us Brits make their sweet treats that can’t be beaten. And don’t even get me started on the puddings!
From the comforting warmth of an Eves Pudding to the classic Sticky Toffee Pudding, there’s a pudding for every mood and occasion. It’s no wonder that British cuisine is so highly regarded when it comes to afters.
What’s the difference between British Desserts and Puddings?
Technically speaking, British desserts are actually a broader category of sweet treat that can include puddings.
Puddings, officially, are a type of dessert, but here in Britain, the two phrases are often used interchangeably.
Despite the two titles getting banded about willy-nilly in the UK, something we are certainly guilty of, growing up in Britain a dessert was a bit posher, and a pudding was what you got served at home, a little more rough around the edges. Perfect for Scottish Scran!
A good question to ask a Brit is “Did you ask what’s for pudding or what’s for dessert in your house?” Feel free to answer in the comments, it says a lot about you! 😉
You can enjoy British desserts and puddings, either warm or cold, and there are so many different flavours and textures to choose from.
But just remember, while all puddings are desserts, not all desserts are puddings! And where we stand with black pudding, we don’t know!
What Makes British Desserts so good?
At this point, we are going to have to say we are hugely biased towards British desserts, in case that hasn’t come across. But the simple answer as to what makes British puddings the best in the world is nostalgia and tradition.
When you think of a crumble, the thought alone whisks you away to a lovely warm, comforting place that is personal to you. When you think of a Tipsy Laird bursting with fruit and covered in custard, you instantly remember where it was you most enjoyed this wonderful Scottish trifle.
You don’t get that with a doughnut or a brownie.
Some of the following British desserts and puddings have been made for hundreds of years and have stayed popular because of the warmth and comfort they’ve provided throughout history.
We mentioned we were a little biased.
Classic British Dessert & Pudding Recipes
These are some of our favourite classic British Dessert and pudding recipes! Cream and custard are optional, but highly recommended!
Rhubarb and Pear Crumble is one of our favourite dishes to make. The tartness of the rhubarb is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the pear, and we like to include oats in our crumble, just to make it a little more Scottish of course!
My Grandma used to make this all the time when I was growing up, and it was one of my favourites.
As well as Eve's Pudding, this simple dessert is also known as Mother Eve's Pudding or even just plain Apple Sponge Pudding.
It's a bit like an apple crumble, although I think it's even easier to make. Eve's Pudding has the same stewed apples but is topped with a Victoria Sponge-like topping instead of a crumble.
This traditional Cranachan recipe is simple yet delicious! It mixes fresh ingredients with classic Scottish flavours like whisky, honey, and oats. The perfect Scottish dessert!
This microwave sticky toffee pudding in a mug is a little piece of heaven! This easy recipe only means you can have sticky toffee pudding in just 5 minutes, to be eaten straight from the mug or tipped out onto a plate.
Scottish Black Bun is a traditional recipe that is essentially a fruit cake wrapped in pastry. It's often used as part of the tradition of "first footing" at Hogmanay.
This Cornflake Tart recipe is a nostalgic throwback to school dinners in the United Kingdom. It's a simple and easy recipe that'll bring back memories, or make new ones! We love this delicious Cornflake Tart served with warm custard. We're sure you'll be making this classic British dessert in no time!
Buxton Pudding consists of a shortcrust pastry base, supporting a layer of jam with a spongecake topping whose ingredients include breadcrumbs!
Buxton Pudding unsurprisingly owes its name to the quaint spa town of Buxton, located in the county of Derbyshire in the East Midlands, England.
The town of Bakewell is also located in Derbyshire, just over ten miles away from Buxton, and has its own pudding to rival Buxton Pudding.
A Bakewell Pudding consists of a puff pastry case layered with jam and topped with an egg and almond sort of sponge on top. You can see the similarities!
We think you should give Buxton Pudding a try!
A Butterscotch Tart tastes like browned butter, caramelised cream, and sugar, sometimes with a touch of salt to cut through the sweetness.
This old school dessert may seem old-fashioned to some, but it's a classic that can easily be made modern with different decorations, and it's thoroughly delicious too!
Congress Tarts are one of those amazingly tasty treats that have been a little forgotten. They're tasty morsels of almond frangipane and raspberry jam encased in delicious buttery pastry.
Depending on where you're from, they might be called Congress Tarts, Congress Curd Tarts, Mini Bakewell Tarts, or even just Almond & Raspberry Tarts.
Macaroni Pudding is a delicious British classic. It's a milk pudding similar to a Rice Pudding, with a delicious creamy sauce covering the macaroni. It's a family favourite, and this recipe is as close to my Grandma's as we can get!
A Clootie Dumpling is a Scottish dessert traditionally made of dried fruit, spices, oatmeal or breadcrumbs, flour, and beef suet. It’s boiled in a cloth, called a “cloot”, hence the name.
Cooking a Clootie Dumpling means filling your home with an amazing spicy aroma, surpassed only by the delicious taste once it’s ready to eat!
If the delightful Ecclefechan Tart was in a guidebook, it would be in listed as a must-visit Scottish hidden gem.
But, unfortunately, these delicious tarts have remained under the radar for many outside of Scotland.
An Ecclefechan tart is a simple mixture of sugar, nuts, currants and butter. This tasty filling is surrounded by a sweet, short pastry casing.
The filling can be almost runny when served warm, but this stiffens slightly as they cool. So it should always have a little wobble to it!
What is School Cake? It’s a basic vanilla sponge cake recipe with water icing and sprinkles. We have sometimes seen it sliced in two horizontally with jam in the middle, but mostly it’s just as is! It often came served with custard too.
School Cake has a few different names. Sometimes it’s called Old School Cake, Retro School Cake, School Dinner Cake, School Cake Traybake, sometimes literally Sponge Cake with Sprinkles, Sprinkle Sponge, or Sprinkle Cake.
Whatever you call it, it's simple to make and delicious!
Tipsy Laird is a Scottish Trifle, made by using whisky to soak the sponge instead of the usual sherry. You can also use Scottish raspberries and Scottish raspberry jam too!
This Scottish dessert is great at Christmas time, Hogmanay, or Burns Night but enjoyable all year too of course.
Jam and Coconut Sponge is a simple sponge cake, with jam spread over the top and a generous sprinkle of desiccated coconut added to top it all off.
Serve with a big jug of custard (pink custard even!) and you’ll be sure to invoke memories in anyone who went to school here a while back!
Coconut and Jam Sponge is an easy bake to make, and it serves plenty if it’s made as a traybake. It can be served cold or warmed up, and with or without custard, so it’s a great option for feeding plenty for a a morning or afternoon tea, or even a pudding.
Oh my days! These are wonderful recipes that take me right back to my schooldays almost 60 yrs ago! The only thing missing is chocolate sponge and chocolate custard, and as I’m from Kent, Gypsy tart, keep them coming and many thanks xx
Thank you
I love reading your waffle 😃
I live in South Africa but am of English extraction. I love your recipes and I am really excited about the old school recipes. My niece has recently secured a job at a prestigious school, as their cook. I am sure she’ll be inspired by these old favourites
We have several brands of margarine, including Stork. I’d like to know why you differentiate between margarine and Stork. Is there a difference?
Keep waffling,
Gloria
PS. Me again!
I meant to say in our house we ask “what’s for pudding”