Pud that’s twice as nice with real rice

RiCe pudding, that’s what i fancied! Not the watery, white slop found in tins, but a real old-fashioned, creamy rice pudding, just like Mum used to make. it would be firm enough not to fall off the spoon, slightly brown round the edges and with a nutmeg or cinnamon-flavoured skin on top. As children, we knew at once what was for ‘afters’ when the spicy aroma filled the kitchen. We awaited our dollop of the creamy stuff, then yelled: ‘i bags the skin!’ The skin was the best bit: not crunchy, but firm. First, i needed the rice — easy, you might think. i went to the nearest large supermarket that had a shelf full of rice — long grain brown rice; long grain white rice; basmati rice; Arborio rice; pilau rice; jasmine rice and dozens of flavoured rices . . . but where was the ordinary white pudding rice? i asked the assistant. ‘excuse me, do you have pudding rice?’ She looked puzzled. ‘Sorry, all the rice is on the shelves,’ she said kindly. it was the same story at another large supermarket, then the two local express stores: plenty of rice, but no ordinary pudding rice. i wondered, does no one make rice pudding any more? At last i found a small local shop which had ordinary pudding rice. eureka! Delighted, i pounced and bought two bags. My rice pudding was a huge success. Comments such as ‘This is lovely’ and ‘i haven’t had rice pudding for years’ made it worthwhile. Trouble is, at a tablespoon and a half of rice a time, i’ll have enough to make rice puddings for the next five years. Luckily, i heard recently that rice pudding is the latest, trendy ‘afters’. Greta Ward, Hayling Island, Hants.