Region or state Bedfordshire | Place of origin United Kingdom | |
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Main ingredients suet pastry; meat, potatoes, vegetables; jam, sweetened apple or other fruit Similar Stargazy pie, Suet pudding, Squab pie, Sussex pond pudding, Woolton pie | ||
The bedfordshire clanger
The Bedfordshire Clanger is a dish from the English county of Bedfordshire, dating back to at least the 19th century. The clanger is an elongated suet crust dumpling similar to a pasty, with a savoury filling at one end and a sweet filling at the other, comprising a main course and dessert in one package. It is traditionally steamed but may be baked for robustness. The crust was not originally intended for consumption but to protect the fillings from the soiled hands of the workers.
Contents
The savoury end is traditionally meat with diced potatoes and vegetables (although a filling without meat is also possible), and the sweet end is usually jam, or sweetened apple or other fruit. Traditionally the top of the clanger is scored with a few lines to denote the sweet end.
Historically, the Bedfordshire Clanger was made by women for their husbands to take to their agricultural work as a midday meal. The dish is still available at various bakers and served at some hotels, restaurants and local places of interest.
A similar, but entirely savoury, dish comes from Buckinghamshire. Known as the Buckinghamshire Bacon Badger, it is made from bacon, potatoes and onions which are enclosed in a pastry case.
