Chef's warning over common Yorkshire pudding mistake - and how to avoid it

Chef Jeff Baker has shared his top tips for making the perfect Yorkshire puddings, and revealed the one common mistake many of us make that's ruining our batter

You could be making a blunder with your Yorkshire puddings that's causing them to deflate.

We all adore a good Yorkshire pudding, right? The ideal side dish for any roast dinner, these fluffy little rounds of batter are scrumptious when smothered in gravy.

However, Yorkshire puddings are notoriously tricky to whip up from scratch, as one false step can lead to a total collapse. According to top chef Jeff Baker, there's a common error many of us commit that results in our Yorkshire recipes ending in catastrophe.

Baker, who has previously cooked for the likes of the late Queen, stated that the crucial ingredient for any successful Yorkshire pudding is the egg. For many of us, our biggest blunder is not using the best ingredients available.

After years of mastering the impressive shape and golden exterior of the beloved Yorkshire pudding, the executive development chef at Farmison and Co revealed it's essential to use "the freshest eggs possible" if you want to guarantee the most delicious puds that maintain their form and don't sink in the centre.

He said: "There is no better accompaniment to an incredible Topside or Sirloin Beef joint than the traditional Yorkshire pudding. The trick to creating a perfectly risen pud that is still crispy around the edges and soft in the middle is to ensure the fat is practically smoking before putting the batter in the trays."

The chef then shared his "tried and tested" recipe, which makes around 12 Yorkshire puddings.

Ingredients

• 3 fresh hen eggs
• 275ml semi-skimmed milk
• 200g good quality plain flour
• Duck or Goose Fat

Method

1. Make the batter just before you're about to bake the puddings by blending all the ingredients together, except the fat, until smooth.
2. Next, place the baking tray in a hot oven at 200c with a little goose fat in each mould.
3. When the fat is nearly smoking, carefully pour the batter into the moulds through a sieve, to about 3/4 full and bake for 16 to 20 minutes to your preferred level of crispiness.
4. Remove from the oven and serve.

It's really that easy to whip up tasty Yorkshire puddings that are the ideal side dish for your Sunday roast. Just remember not to open the oven door while they're baking, as a sudden temperature shift could make them deflate before they're done.