 Mrs Beeton's Hasty Pudding (Nutmeg & Vanilla Tapioca Pudding) enjoy with Tiptree Strawberry Jam! Hello, darlings! Miss Windsor excitedly presents Mrs Beeton’s Hasty Pudding (Nutmeg & Vanilla Tapioca Pudding). Okey dokey, Miss Windsor has no time for "dilly dallying", so without further ado I’m going to get straight to the point – chop, chop! about this subtly sweet yet rather wholesome member of the British milk pudding family. You see, as far as I know, hasty pudding or more commonly known as tapioca pudding has been a staple of our beloved sweet course since the 1800’s – well, a lot less so in today’s modern world, but suffice to say it’s certainly making a glorious comeback! Oh, and I must quickly mention that I’m "chomping at the bit" as I excitedly present this recipe as my first offering to "At Home With Mrs Simkins & Miss Windsor" – our new collaboration which opens with an all guns blazing HASTE-OFF, hence HASTY PUDDING.  Mrs Beeton's Hasty Pudding recipe - from my 1906 edition of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management! Darlings, and if you haven’t already guessed, just as it says on the tin we are indeed rustling up a quick-fire pudding that you can recreate in a jiffy, or in a haste in this case – just twenty minutes will do the trick! Created with tapioca (of course!) milk, brown sugar, vanilla flavouring, and nutmeg – the very best of British fayre! In fact, my darling Mrs Simkins opted to make a baked version with flour, milk, brown sugar, butter, egg, and nutmeg – How spiffing! She has also made an American version with cornmeal: what versatility! Now, moving swiftly on, hasty pudding which was traditionally made with either sago or tapioca and sometimes with oatmeal, has been quite a thing in England since the late sixteenth century. In fact, the Victorians absolutely adored this scrumptious, easy on the purse strings, economical dish which was a rather appreciated delicacy of its time. Of course, one would serve this delightful pud with a splash of cream and a dollop of jam - I'm rather fond of Tiptree Strawberry Jam by Wilkin & Sons Ltd.  After 12 hours, the tapioca is ready for action! So, if you’re a fan of old-fashioned traditional British food such as rice pudding, then you’re going to fall head over heels with this old-school, traditional creamy dessert bestowed the grand title of Mrs Beeton’s Hasty Pudding (Nutmeg & Vanilla Tapioca Pudding) - just like granny used to make! Or I dare say, many of you will have wonderful memories of something similar yet equally indulgent which your school cook would've whipped up to perfection – school dining at its best! Now, to be brutally honest, when I was a snipper I was rather averse to tapioca pudding, and I used to dread the day it was on the school dinner menu. I couldn’t even bear to blink an eye at it, as it reminded me of a sloppy gooey bowl of white jelly balls that had been torn from the depths of a slippery slimy pond – frogspawn comes to mind!  The floral bowls belonged to my 2 x great aunt Betty. Here she is dressed in white linen enjoying a slice of cake & a cup of tea at St. Johns Vicarage, Clevedon, Somerset. Look closely you'll see a Brown Betty teapot! I must say, my beloved culinary marvel, Mrs Beeton was a huge fan of tapioca, and states in her culinary masterpiece Beeton’s Book of Household Management which was first published in 1861, "Its nutritive properties are large, and as a food for persons of delicate digestion, or for children, it is in great estimation" – well versed, Mrs Beeton! Of course, recipes for hasty pudding, tapioca pudding, tapioca milk-based pudding, plus tapioca soup were given pride of place in her culinary bible. Darlings, hurry along now; there’s no time to spare, as one must prepare to recreate Mrs Beeton’s Hasty Pudding. However, before you get cracking I’m afraid to say that you’ve been a trifle misled, as you’re going to need a bit longer than twenty minutes; in fact, twelve hours to be precise!  Treat yourself to a wholesome, yet subtly sweet spoonful of Mrs Beeton's Hasty Pudding! You see, one must soak the tapioca pearls for at least twelve hours in water (some say a couple of hours will do, but don’t listen to them!) in order soften the pearls which will thicken the mixture. Oh, and by the way, do not succumb to the convenience of instant tapioca, the instant type doesn’t work so well, and in any case, Miss Windsor will not tolerate idle hands! Oh, dearie me, I expect the news has "upset the applecart," so to speak, but the truth is darlings Mrs Beeton’s recipe is not so hasty at all! I’m afraid there’s nothing Miss Windsor can do about that, as it’s due to the everyday challenges of cooking from the past, even if the recipe is deemed to be quick as a flash; some kind of modernish convenience of yesteryear, I suppose! Darlings, tick tock, tick tock! so hurry along now and put your skates on, then dash off to your kitchen and give your tapioca pearls a jolly good soaking – Ta very muchly! See you back here in twelve hours – don’t be late!
 ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR EXCEPT FOR PHOTO OF AUNTY BETTY! Mrs Beeton’s Hasty Pudding
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