Dessert focus: Pudding fan's paradise
Life's sweet at the Red Lion. Situated in Hinxton, a small village eight miles south of Cambridge, the pub hosts a monthly pudding club where customers are encouraged to try no less than seven puddings in one sitting.
The club was the idea of licensee Alex Clarke and head chef Regan Neaves. When Clarke took on the pub as a freehold in 2003 he liked the idea of a pudding club, but was concerned it wouldn't be upmarket enough for the leafy village.
"I felt very wary of pudding clubs because I thought they were slightly downmarket, but once someone of Regan's calibre turned up and I saw the puddings she was turning out, I knew the quality was so much higher," explains Alex. "It has caught the imagination."
Each club has been a sell-out. Customers choose a light starter and main course from a set menu before moving on to the puddings.
The range of puddings varies, from pineapple upside-down cake, to mango and chocolate roulade, to crème brûlée.
Regan serves the puddings from a table and customers are encouraged to select three to try with a glass of dessert wine, before going back for a second round. Diners also get a recipe for one of the puddings to take home.
Regan attributes the club's popularity to the selection of puddings on offer and the chance to try a bit of everything. She says: "They like the buffet side. It's an old-fashioned way of doing a sweet trolley - because of regulations, a lot of places don't do them now. And it's continuous - as much as you can eat.
"Treats are allowed, and people forget that. Life's too short not to have a treat and people are making puddings at home less and less. The family environment's completely changed."
The most popular puddings are made from old recipes. "The steamed puddings are a big favourite," says Regan. "Perhaps it's that thing of traditional English food. I do a golden syrup steamed sponge that is quite large - but people manage to finish it!"
In addition to the club, the Red Lion has also started a pudding platter, so people who can't make up their mind can have a selection from the menu on offer that day. "That has been quite popular," says Alex. "Particularly with couples who will share because it allows them to have a bit of fun."
Regan says there are no hard and fast rules for running a pudding club, but good recipes are key. She uses some family favourites and reads cookery books "like novels" for inspiration. "Just make sure it's home-made," she says. "You don't want to have a sample of stuff from the supermarket - you can get that anywhere."
Hinxton is a single street, but as well as being a second home for locals the Red Lion is a destination pub and can do 60 covers in the restaurant and 30 in the bar area. Alex and Regan promoted the night by having a soft launch for the villagers and when that went well they invited journalists from local publications and village newsletters.
"Most of the local villages have newsletters and there's been quite a lot of interest from them," says Alex. "We've got about 10 villages round here, and they've been keen to get a bit of editorial in. Now others are starting up. Quite a lot is word of mouth."
The first four pudding club nights had an introductory price of £15.95 to attract customers, and from October the price increased to £17.95. However, any 'pudding club veteran' introducing a first-timer can attend for the original price - a further incentive to return for the sugary wares.
The popularity of the club is spreading far and wide, and the pub's even had complaints from the proprietors of a hotel in Gloucestershire, who claim they've been running a pudding club for more than 20 years.
Despite facing the threat of legal action, Alex wasn't put off by the incident. "I said maybe we'll bring you some customers - people might come here and like it!" he laughs. Judging by the empty plates, they certainly do.
