Buckinghamshire bacon badger

Enveloped in a golden case, this traditional recipe is similar to a savoury roly-poly and dates back hundreds of years.

What is Buckingham Bacon Badger

Native to the county in which it is named after, the Buckingham bacon badger is a suet pastry, traditionally filled with chopped bacon, onion and potato. The origin of the name is obscure, though the term 'badger' may be connected to an old usage of the word for a dealer in food, particularly grain and flour.

How to make Buckingham Bacon Badger

Serves 8-10

400g bacon lardons

2 Maris Piper potatoes

1 large onion

200g self-raising flour

90g shredded beef suet

1 handful each of fresh parsley, sage and thyme

1 tbsp milk

black pepper

kitchen string

In a frying pan, dry fry the bacon lardons for 10 mins until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with kitchen roll, and leave to cool. Slice the potato into thin, small batons, and chop onion finely.

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, mix in the suet and season with pepper. Add 100ml cold water to the mixture very gradually, mixing well as you go, until it is a sticky dough.

On a clean, floured surface, roll the pastry out to A4, then transfer to a greased piece of greaseproof paper, 10cm larger than the pastry. Sprinkle with the cooled lardons, onion and potato, then chop the parsley, sage and thyme and sprinkle on top. Roll up into a long log, sealing at the ends, then wrap in the greaseproof paper. Wrap this again in a clean tea towel and tie up the ends with kitchen string. Steam over a large saucepan of boiling water in a steamer or metal colander for 1 hour and 30 mins.

Unwrap the roll from the tea towel and the paper, then and transfer to a greased flat baking tin. Brush the milk over the pastry and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/gas mark 4 for 25 mins. Serve with salad and pickles.