The Pudding Club!

On Saturday, my girlies took me to The Pudding Club in Chipping Campden. They booked it for us, as part of my 30th birthday present back in September. It was such a super idea, I mean who doesn't like pudding! The Club is held weekly at the Three Ways House Hotel, and you are able to indulge in 7 different puddings, and what's more if you can stomach it, and as long as your bowl is emptied between servings, you can have seconds, or thirds ... or more!!

This was the range of puddings we were able to try on Saturday. We were also given a main course to begin with, thankfully the portions sizes are kept realistic, so you aren't stuffed before the real challenge begins. I had the Poached Salmon and Creme Fraiche, as I decided it would be the lightest, it was, and it was delicious.

All the puddings are proper old school puddings served with custard, and you can choose in which order you would like to eat them. I began with Spotted Dick. It may be hard to believe, but I don't recall ever having it before, I'm not sure why, but I really, really enjoyed it. I expected it to be heavier, but it was actually pretty light. In hindsight I think this healthy looking portion was somewhat dangerous!

I finished it easily though! :) You then keep your bowls and spoons, and go up to the buffet area with the rest of your table, to collect your next helping.

Here we are going strong after two helpings. My second was the Banana and Cinnamon Pudding, that too felt very light, the banana was there, but not overpowering, although I couldn't really taste the cinnamon, which is a shame, as I love it. Still it was one of my favourite puddings of the night.

I never made it to seven puddings, this was my sixth and last portion. As you can see, by this point the staff had kindly started to give out smaller portion sizes...

... but it still beat me. I do love chocolate, but I could not eat another bite. The temptation was there to finish it, and get my seventh pudding, so I could at least say I had tried all seven, but there was no hope. If it had been Rhubarb Crumble, I may have found the will, but it was Apple, and I couldn't get to my feet for apple :)

As you went through the puddings you marked them out of ten. At the end, everyone handed in the score sheets, and one was drawn out of an ice bucket, to win a pudding to take home. At that point I was actually a little relieved not to win :) My favourite pudding of the night was Passionfruit Charlotte, I don't know if it was the fact that it had a different texture, or that I found it incredibly refreshing after a portion of the rich Lord Randall, but it tasted amazing. Strangely, it is not a pudding I ever would have chosen over about 4 or 5 of the others, so it just goes to show what a great tasting opportunity and experience it was.

The over all winner of the evening was the Stem Ginger Pudding, that had been my second favourite, so I wasn't surprised. The Charlotte was the second most popular pudding.

Here we are at the end, after teas and coffees. I'm on the left, and if it looks like I'm uncomfortable, it is because I was, I couldn't move! I was very happy though.

Everybody that took part also received a certificate which was a lovely touch, and because I was bought the night as part of a gift voucher, I also took home 3 family sized Pudding Club Puddings (also available from Waitrose I believe), and a lovely Pudding Club Shopper! There will be photos of those in my next photo project update.