Sticky toffee pudding

Sticky toffee pudding is a cherished English dessert celebrated for its moist sponge cake enveloped in a rich toffee sauce, typically accompanied by vanilla custard or ice cream. In Australia and New Zealand, a similar delicacy known as sticky date pudding enjoys comparable acclaim.

British culinary experts view sticky toffee pudding as a modern adaptation of classic British desserts such as bread and butter pudding, jam roly-poly, and spotted dick. But what are the origins of this delightful dessert?

This delectable treat was first created by Francis Coulson and Robert Lee at the Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel in England’s picturesque Lake District during the 1970s. Food critic Simon Hopkinson shared that Coulson attributed the recipe to Patricia Martin from Claughton, Lancashire. Patricia had originally published the recipe in a collection that subsequently became known as The Good Food Guide Dinner Party Book.

Interestingly, Patricia's son disclosed to Hopkinson that she actually acquired the recipe from two Canadian air force officers who stayed at her hotel during World War II. Hopkinson remarked that the Canadian influences are evident in the batter, which resembles an American muffin mix more than a traditional English sponge cake. And thus, this delightful dessert with its intriguing history came to be!