i Toad 2.0

Wind in the Willows, the much loved childrens' book by Kenneth Grahame was one of my favourites as a kid as messing about in boats was what I did.

Toad of Toad Hall was however, as close as I got to Toad in the Hole as Yorkshire Pudding was not cooked in my family.

It wasn't until after I set up my own kitchen and acquired a set of cast iron drop scone moulds that I started to investigate recipes and uses for Yorkshire Pudding.

It is now a standard accompaniment to roast beef at St Malo (our house) or is cooked just for fun. It is also a very useful medium in which to cook good pork sausages, as I did tonight.

It was in Jane Grigson's English Food that I found my favourite recipe for Yorkshire Pudding and it is simple and foolproof.

Start with 250g of plain flour in a mixing bowl and add a large pinch of salt and combine. Then make a well and break in 3 eggs and combine with a whisk while adding 600ml of milk or half milk half water. Don't worry about a few lumps or bits of unmixed egg yolk as it all disappears in the cooking.

Once you have got the mix made the world is your oyster. You can pour it into the baking dish that you have just taken the roast from to rest or you can start with a fresh dish and pour it in. For Toad in the Hole pour the mix over your pre- baked sausages but don't bury them altogether.

Whatever you do with it cook it in a 220 Celsius oven (fan forced if you have it), and leave it for 20 minutes or until risen and browned within an inch of its life. When ready cut into squares and serve.

If you are lucky enough to have a set of scone moulds (or you could do it with friand or small muffin moulds), put a teaspoon of suet or dripping into each one and superheat in the oven until smoking. Then pour in enough mix to come up almost to the top and put back in the oven til risen and brown (about 10 mins). The result will be prefectly round, light and golden brown individual yorkshire puddings.

And the fun with Yorkshire Pudding doesn't end with the main course. Like Jane Grigson's banker father I make a bee line for the kitchen after dinner and eat the left over warm eggy pudding smeared with Golden Syrup or raspberry jam or condensed milk. Yummy.

Give it a try, roast beef will never be the same again without Yorkshire Pudding and Toad in the Hole is a great weeknight meal with mushy peas and steamed potatoes.