This delicious steak and kidney pudding is rich, warm, and full of flavor. Tender steak and kidneys are cooked in a thick gravy and wrapped in soft suet pastry. It’s the perfect classic British comfort food for cold days.

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Ingredients Needed:

3 very fresh lambs’ kidneys
700g/1lb 8¾oz well-marbled braising steak, trimmed, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
3 tbsp plain flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4-5 tbsp sunflower oil
1 medium onion, peeled, chopped
200ml/7¼fl oz red wine
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 fresh bay leaf
500ml/18fl oz good-quality beef stock
1 tbsp tomato purée

For the suet pastry:

350g/12¼oz self-raising flour
175g/6¼oz shredded suet
½ tsp fine sea salt
butter, for greasing

How To Make Steak And Kidney Pudding Recipe?

Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 170ºC.
Prepare the kidneys and steak: Rinse the kidneys, pat them dry, cut them in half, remove the white cores, and chop them into small pieces. Place the steak cubes in one plastic bag and the kidney pieces in another. Divide the flour between them, season both with salt and pepper, then shake the bags to coat the meat evenly.
Brown the meat: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the steak in batches until browned all over. Add more oil as needed. Transfer the cooked steak to a large flameproof casserole dish. Repeat the same with the kidneys and add them to the casserole.
Cook the onion: In the same pan, add the remaining oil and cook the chopped onion over low heat for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the onion to the casserole with the steak and kidneys.
Deglaze with wine: Pour the red wine into the frying pan and bring to a boil while scraping up the browned bits. Pour this into the casserole.
Add liquids and herbs: Add the thyme leaves, bay leaf, beef stock, and tomato purée. Stir everything together and bring to a boil.
Make the gravy: Remove 3 ladlefuls of the sauce and place them in a small pan to cool. Once cool, put the pan in the fridge to use later as gravy.
Slow-cook the filling: Cover the casserole and place in the oven. Cook for 1½ to 2 hours until the beef is tender, stirring halfway through.
Thicken the mixture: Once out of the oven, simmer the filling on the stove for 2–3 minutes until the sauce is thick. Remove from heat and let it cool.
Make the suet pastry: Mix the flour, suet, and salt in a bowl. Add about 300ml of water, a little at a time, until a soft dough forms. Lightly knead the dough on a floured surface. Cut off a quarter of the dough and set it aside for the lid.
Line the pudding basin: Roll out the larger piece of dough into a circle about 1cm thick. Butter a 1.5-litre pudding basin and line it with the pastry, pressing it into the sides. Let the pastry come about 1cm above the rim and trim the edges.
Fill and seal the pudding: Spoon the cooled meat filling into the pastry-lined basin. Brush the pastry rim with water. Roll out the remaining dough into a lid and place it on top. Press the edges to seal and trim if needed.
Cover for steaming: Cover the basin with baking parchment and foil, both with a pleat in the middle. Tie tightly with string and make a string handle over the top to help lift it later.
Steam the pudding: Place the pudding basin on an upside-down saucer in a deep pan. Pour in just-boiled water to come halfway up the sides. Cover with a lid and steam gently for 2½ hours, topping up the water as needed.
Serve: Let the pudding sit for 5 minutes. Heat the reserved gravy until hot. Remove the covers, loosen the edges with a knife, and turn the pudding out onto a deep plate. Slice and serve with the hot gravy.

James Martin Steak And Kidney Pudding Recipe

Recipe Tips:

Use fresh kidneys only: Old or frozen kidneys can give a strong smell and taste. Fresh ones give a cleaner flavor and better texture.
Cool the filling before adding it to the pastry: If the filling is hot, it will melt the suet pastry and make the base soggy or break during steaming.
Seal the pudding tightly: Press the pastry edges well and tie the string cover tightly to stop water from getting into the pudding while steaming.
Keep water halfway up the basin while steaming: Check every 30–40 minutes and top up with boiling water if needed so it doesn’t dry out or burn at the bottom.
Let the pudding rest before turning it out: Wait 5 minutes after steaming so the structure sets. This helps it hold its shape and makes slicing easier.

How To Store & Reheat Leftovers?

Refrigerate: Let the pudding cool down to room temperature first. Then wrap it or put it in a container and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Cool the pudding fully, then wrap it well or place it in a freezer-safe box. You can freeze it for up to 2 months.
Reheat: Place slices in a covered pan over low heat with a splash of water or gravy. Heat gently for 10–15 minutes until fully warmed.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 650 kcal
Total Fat: 38g
Saturated Fat: 18g
Cholesterol: 155mg
Sodium: 620mg
Potassium: 610mg
Total Carbohydrate: 28g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 45g

Try More James Martin Recipes:

James Martin Meat And Potato Pie Recipe
James Martin Chicken And Leek Pie Recipe

James Martin Steak And Kidney Pudding Recipe

Course: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hours

minutes

Calories

650

kcal

Ingredients

3 very fresh lambs’ kidneys
700g/1lb 8¾oz well-marbled braising steak, trimmed, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
3 tbsp plain flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4-5 tbsp sunflower oil
1 medium onion, peeled, chopped
200ml/7¼fl oz red wine
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 fresh bay leaf
500ml/18fl oz good-quality beef stock
1 tbsp tomato purée
For the suet pastry:
350g/12¼oz self-raising flour
175g/6¼oz shredded suet
½ tsp fine sea salt
butter, for greasing

Directions

Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 170ºC.
Prepare the kidneys and steak: Rinse the kidneys, pat them dry, cut them in half, remove the white cores, and chop them into small pieces. Place the steak cubes in one plastic bag and the kidney pieces in another. Divide the flour between them, season both with salt and pepper, then shake the bags to coat the meat evenly.
Brown the meat: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the steak in batches until browned all over. Add more oil as needed. Transfer the cooked steak to a large flameproof casserole dish. Repeat the same with the kidneys and add them to the casserole.
Cook the onion: In the same pan, add the remaining oil and cook the chopped onion over low heat for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the onion to the casserole with the steak and kidneys.
Deglaze with wine: Pour the red wine into the frying pan and bring to a boil while scraping up the browned bits. Pour this into the casserole.
Add liquids and herbs: Add the thyme leaves, bay leaf, beef stock, and tomato purée. Stir everything together and bring to a boil.
Make the gravy: Remove 3 ladlefuls of the sauce and place them in a small pan to cool. Once cool, put the pan in the fridge to use later as gravy.
Slow-cook the filling: Cover the casserole and place in the oven. Cook for 1½ to 2 hours until the beef is tender, stirring halfway through.
Thicken the mixture: Once out of the oven, simmer the filling on the stove for 2–3 minutes until the sauce is thick. Remove from heat and let it cool.
Make the suet pastry: Mix the flour, suet, and salt in a bowl. Add about 300ml of water, a little at a time, until a soft dough forms. Lightly knead the dough on a floured surface. Cut off a quarter of the dough and set it aside for the lid.
Line the pudding basin: Roll out the larger piece of dough into a circle about 1cm thick. Butter a 1.5-litre pudding basin and line it with the pastry, pressing it into the sides. Let the pastry come about 1cm above the rim and trim the edges.
Fill and seal the pudding: Spoon the cooled meat filling into the pastry-lined basin. Brush the pastry rim with water. Roll out the remaining dough into a lid and place it on top. Press the edges to seal and trim if needed.
Cover for steaming: Cover the basin with baking parchment and foil, both with a pleat in the middle. Tie tightly with string and make a string handle over the top to help lift it later.
Steam the pudding: Place the pudding basin on an upside-down saucer in a deep pan. Pour in just-boiled water to come halfway up the sides. Cover with a lid and steam gently for 2½ hours, topping up the water as needed.
Serve: Let the pudding sit for 5 minutes. Heat the reserved gravy until hot. Remove the covers, loosen the edges with a knife, and turn the pudding out onto a deep plate. Slice and serve with the hot gravy.

Notes

Use fresh kidneys only: Old or frozen kidneys can give a strong smell and taste. Fresh ones give a cleaner flavor and better texture.
Cool the filling before adding it to the pastry: If the filling is hot, it will melt the suet pastry and make the base soggy or break during steaming.
Seal the pudding tightly: Press the pastry edges well and tie the string cover tightly to stop water from getting into the pudding while steaming.
Keep water halfway up the basin while steaming: Check every 30–40 minutes and top up with boiling water if needed so it doesn’t dry out or burn at the bottom.
Let the pudding rest before turning it out: Wait 5 minutes after steaming so the structure sets. This helps it hold its shape and makes slicing easier.