PAIGNTON PUDDINGS
History of Paignton Puddings
The English town of Paignton has had pudding associated with its history since the 13th century.
A token payment for the town charter, a 'white-pot' or bag-pudding was made annually, and later it was made every 50 years and distributed to the poor. Eventually the tradition was neglected altogether.
Then in 1819 the tradition was revived, and a 900 pound pudding of suet, flour, raisins and eggs was created to celebrate the annual Paignton Fair. It took 4 days to boil in the brewing copper of a local Inn. Even so, when the thousands gathered to eat the pudding, it was found that it was still raw on the inside.
Their next 'monster' pudding effort was created to celebrate the arrival of the railway to Paignton in 1859 and was more successful in the making, but not the eating. This 1½ ton pudding was fully cooked, and an additional 1,900 pounds of meat and bread and unlimited quantities of local food was to be served to the poor of the surrounding towns and the workers who worked on the railway extension, about 1,500 people.
When the pudding arrived on a wagon drawn by 8 horses, a disgraceful scene ensued. The invited guests and thousands of additional onlookers not wanting to miss out, swarmed the wagon and soon the "committee, police, public and pudding were in one seething mass on the ground" and the pudding was demolished. The crowd was estimated at about 18,000 people.
More modest but successful puddings were created in 1968 and 2006.
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