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The G&G Kitchen Notebook with Landrace Bakery

Head down the road from our Bath store and you’ll find the wholesome Landrace Bakery and Restaurant; champion of local produce, famous for sticky cinnamon buns, and a firm G&G favourite. We spoke to talented Head Chef Rob Sachdev to learn how to make buttermilk pudding, a decadent dessert from their seasonal menu which uses British-grown ingredients.

Ingredients:

For the pudding:

400g buttermilk

300g double cream

125g caster sugar

1 unwaxed lemon, grated zest

2 gelatine leaves

1 vanilla pod

For the rhubarb compote:

1kg Yorkshire rhubarb

300g caster sugar

For the rhubarb compote:

1kg Yorkshire rhubarb

300g caster sugar

"We are always trying to reduce food waste so, as buttermilk is a by-product of the butter-making process, it felt right to find a place on our menu for this pudding. We pair with seasonal rhubarb and crisp shortbread."

Forced Rhubarb growing in a dark shed by candlelight. — “Forced Yorkshire rhubarb is a fading art form. Farmers grow the plant in large, pitch-dark barns, often working by candlelight. This encourages the plant to grow tall in search of light and means the plant concentrates its sugars for a sweeter taste."

Method:

1. To begin, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for five minutes.

2. Weigh the buttermilk and transfer it into a large mixing bowl. The bowl needs to be large enough to hold the entire recipe.

3. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod. Put the vanilla, cream and sugar for the pudding into a saucepan and place on a medium heat. Whisk to disperse the vanilla seeds.

4. Bring the cream just up to the boil. As soon as it starts to boil, remove it from the heat.

5. Wring out the gelatine from the cold water and dissolve in the warm cream and sugar mixture.

6. Pass the gelatine cream mixture through a fine sieve onto the buttermilk. Add the lemon zest and mix it all together to form a smooth, even consistency.

Method Continued:

7. Pour into your containers and put into the fridge. Leave for at least 3 hours to set. We set ours in 2-litre ice cream containers then lift the portions out with a spoon, but you could also set them in small pudding bowls as individual portions.

8. While the puddings are setting, make your rhubarb compote. First, chop your rhubarb into roughly 1cm-diced cubes. Try to be fairly accurate with the size so the fruit cooks evenly.

9. Add the rhubarb and the caster sugar to a heavy-bottomed pan and warm on a medium heat. Cook for around 15 minutes. The rhubarb will release all its juices and stew down with the sugar.

10. Taste it. If it’s too sour then add more sugar – rhubarb varies massively in sweetness depending on the time in the season

11. Once the rhubarb is soft, strain off the excess liquid and put aside. We use this liquid in our house cordials and cocktails

12. Chill the compote until fridge-cold for 2-3 hours.

When ready, scoop out your pudding with a warm spoon and serve with your compote. We like to add some homemade shortbread for a little crunch.