Bacon & Onion Roly Poly Pudding (Traditional Recipe)

Bacon roly poly is an old-fashioned and traditional British recipe, popular in the 1960s. It's also known as bacon and onion suet pudding or simply bacon pudding.

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Updated August 2026

A while back, I was involved in a campaign called Cooking through the Decades.

They challenged food bloggers to cook a recipe from Britain’s past or present over the past 100 years, from the 1920s to 2010.

I was allocated the 60s, which was perfect as I was born in 1962 (oh my, I feel so old)!

But I remember quite a bit about the 60s, especially the kinds of food we ate back then; so different to nowadays. 😃

This is my all-time favourite dinner from my childhood!

Bacon and Onion Roly Poly

The pudding is made with suet pastry, bacon and onions, and then you roll it up like a Swiss roll (think suet dumpling with a bacon and onion filling). It's then steamed for about 2 and a half hours.

*Update, at the time of writing

I noticed on the BBC TV series Back in Time for Tea that they cooked this while they were living as if they were in 1937.

But they boiled it (as my nan would have). If you steam it instead, it's far better and doesn't end up soggy! 😉

No fancy ingredients are added, and it's simply seasoned with white pepper, but this is good stuff.

Until this challenge was given to me, I'd never actually made it myself, but it tasted just as good as I remember.

In the program, each decade sees iconic dishes that were popular at the time, whether because of necessity.

The dish Bubble and Squeak came from the need to be thrifty during the Second World War. My version of bubble and squeak is a tad posher than back then!

The 1960s

In the sixties, the younger generation was ready to start enjoying themselves again.

Music, miniskirts and swinging London encouraged people to spend more money, while cheaper flights meant more exposure to foreign influences, especially in the kitchen.

The average house price in the UK was £2,530, and most houses now had a refrigerator and a cooker.

Sliced bread went on sale, and a loaf cost 5 pence.

The ever-popular television program Coronation Street first aired in December 1960, and Dr Who appeared on our television screens at the end of 1963.

BBC2 was the first channel to have colour in 1967 and broadcast its first colour pictures from Wimbledon in 1967.

Sindy and Tiny Tears Dolls

Sindy Doll and Tiny Tears were just the best toy dolls any little girl could wish for.

I remember getting Tiny Tears one Christmas, and by Boxing Day I'd given her a haircut. 😱 I can't believe I did that, but I did. I've just checked with her, and my mum still has my Tiny Tears doll!

I've always had an interest in food and cooking. I remember watching Graham Kerr's cooking program with my mum called The Galloping Gourmet, and I absolutely loved it.

Does anyone else remember that program?

Anyway, back to the Bacon and Onion Roly Poly Pudding!

Ingredients

🌾 Self-raising flour

🐄 Atora suet

💧 Water

🧂 Salt

🥓 Uncooked back bacon

🧅 Brown onion

⚪ White pepper

What you'll need

🍳 Steamer basket

🧺 Muslin cloth

🧵 Kitchen string

🔪 Sharp knife

🥣 Mixing bowl

Tips for perfect roly poly

• Don’t roll the pastry too thin — it needs a bit of thickness to stay soft and fluffy.
• Use a clean muslin cloth and flour it well so the pudding doesn’t stick.
• Make sure the water in your steamer never boils dry — top it up if needed.
• Steaming gives a better texture than boiling and stops the pudding going soggy.
• White pepper gives the authentic 1960s flavour — don’t swap it for black pepper.

If you enjoy traditional British puddings, you might also like my Old‑Fashioned Bread Pudding .

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1 — Make the dough

Mix the flour, suet and salt in a bowl. Add the water and stir to form a soft dough.

Step 2 — Prep the filling

Slice the onion thinly and cut the bacon into bite‑sized pieces.

Step 3 — Roll out the pastry

On a floured worktop, roll the dough into an oblong about 1 cm thick.

Step 4 — Add the filling

Spread the bacon and onion evenly over the pastry and sprinkle with white pepper.

Step 5 — Roll it up

Roll the pastry up like a Swiss roll, keeping it as tight as you can.

Step 6 — Wrap in muslin

Flour a clean muslin cloth, place the pudding on it, roll it up, and tie both ends with kitchen string.

Step 7 — Steam the pudding

Place the wrapped pudding into a steamer basket. Cover and steam for 2½ hours, topping up the water as needed.

Step 8 — Slice and serve

Remove the pudding from the cloth, slice, and serve with boiled potatoes, peas and gravy.

Simple, delicious and filling.

Have you tried this recipe?
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Main, Mains – Beef – Pork – Lamb

British

Yield: 3-4

Author: Jan Bennett

Bacon and Onion Roly Poly Pudding

A traditional British roly‑poly pudding made with suet pastry, bacon and onions, rolled up like a Swiss roll and gently steamed for a soft, comforting finish.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 2 H & 30 MTotal time: 2 H & 40 M

Ingredients

• 220g self-raising flour
• 120g suet - I use Atora original
• 180ml water
• a couple of pinches of salt
• 6 rashers of uncooked back bacon - trimmed of any fat
• 1 medium-sized onion - sliced
• white pepper

Instructions

1. Slice the onion thinly and cut the bacon into bite‑sized pieces.
2. Put the flour, suet and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the water and mix well to form a soft dough.
3. On a floured worktop, roll the pastry into an oblong about 1 cm thick. Spread the bacon and onion evenly over the surface, sprinkle with white pepper, and roll it up like a Swiss roll.
4. Flour a large, clean piece of muslin cloth. Place the pudding on the cloth, roll it up tightly, then tie both ends with kitchen string. Put the pudding into a steamer basket.
5. Cover and steam for 2½ hours, checking occasionally to make sure the water doesn’t boil dry.
6. Slice the pudding and serve with boiled potatoes, peas and gravy.

Notes

Flour the muslin cloth well so the pudding doesn’t stick.

Keep the steamer topped up with water throughout cooking.

White pepper gives the traditional flavour — avoid swapping for black pepper.

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