Bakewell Pudding Shop
Forget the imitation tarts sold everywhere else — the original Bakewell Pudding, made to a recipe accidentally discovered in the 1820s, is still sold from a tiny bow-fronted shop on The Square. One warm, flaky-pastried bite explains why visitors make a pilgrimage here from across the country.
The Accidental Recipe
Legend holds that a cook at the White Horse Inn misread instructions and spread egg-and-almond mixture over jam instead of mixing it into the pastry — producing a rich, custardy pudding that bears almost no resemblance to the cherry-topped tart sold in supermarkets nationwide.
The Original Bakewell Pudding Shop on The Square has been trading for well over a century and still bakes to a closely guarded recipe. The result is a wobbly, almost treacle-dark filling inside a rough puff pastry shell — dense, sweet and deeply satisfying.
How to Eat It Like a Local
Order a warm pudding slice at the counter and eat it standing on the cobbles with a paper napkin — no fork required. A dollop of clotted cream on the side is the correct accompaniment, and the shop sells both.
If you want to take one home, whole puddings travel well in their boxes and make excellent gifts. The shop also ships nationally, but nothing beats eating one within sight of the River Wye.
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