THE English original was traditionally served before the meat. For a really good Yorkshire, make the batter ahead of time and store it in the fridge for at least an hour before baking. This allows the gluten to develop. The oven must be really hot and it is essential to preheat a generous splash of oil in the baking vessel till smoking hot before pouring over the batter. This creates the beautiful puff of a proper Yorkshire pud.

Makes 1 large pudding or 12 individual ones

Ingredients:

120g (1 cup) cake flour

2.5ml (½ tsp) salt

2 extra-large eggs

250ml (1 cup) cold milk

60ml (¼ cup) iced water

Oil or meat drippings

Method:

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, eggs and milk. Whisk till smooth, then refrigerate for at least an hour before baking. Just before baking, add the iced water to the batter and whisk again. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Pour a little oil into the openings of a 12-hole muffin tray (or a single ovenproof pie dish). Place in the oven until the oil is smoking hot. Pour the pudding batter on top of the hot oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown. (If making 1 large pudding, bake for 30 minutes.)

HIGH-LEVEL YORKSHIRE PUDDING

Many cooks swear that baking at altitude affects the rising of a Yorkshire pudding. Reader Tim Paine has sent us his father's recipe. "In Yorkshire, the county of my birth, baking powder is never, ever used to make what we call 'batter pudding batter'."

Ingredients:

240g (2 cups) cake flour

Large pinch of salt

7 large eggs

Milk or water

Method:

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Combine the eggs and enough milk or water to make a thickish cream. Pour into the well and mix till the batter is smooth. Allow to rest in the fridge for an hour, then bake as per the recipe above.