Traditional Old Fashioned Scottish Flummery Recipe - Larder Love (2024)

Author: Karon Grieve

Recipe

Want to finish off a meal in real Scottish style? And a dash of whisky too of course. Then this wee recipe for traditional Scottish Flummery is definitely the way to go.

Traditional Old Fashioned Scottish Flummery Recipe - Larder Love (1)

What is flummery?

Flummery (what a wonderful word) is an ancient recipe that has featured in Scottish feasts dating right back to the 15th century.

This is an easy flummery recipe but you will have to soak the oatmeal for 48 hours prior to making the dish. So plan ahead when you want to add this wee touch of Scottish magic to your dinner table.

What does flummery mean?

Flummery means this Scottish dessert of course. But the dictionary also explains flummery as ‘meaningless or insincere flattery or conventions’.

The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

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What’s in flummery?

As I’ve already said, this is an old recipe. Nowadays you’ll see recipes for Flummery that incorporate jelly and tinned cream. Well that’s not traditional flummery.

This flummery dessert takes it’s starchiness from the soaked oats. It’s body if you will, the stuff that holds it together. Not the jelly that features in some of the flummery recipes on the internet.

A note on the oats. I used Scottish oatmeal in my flummery recipe. The starch in oats varies. When you boil up the oat water the time can vary on how long your flummery dessert takes to thicken. This is all due to the starch in the oat water.

Don’t even think about the calories in this little dish, what with double cream, whipping cream, sugar and honey, oh, and a wee dash of whisky too! You just have to think of it as a wee Scottish treat perfect for a supper party.

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How to make flummery

You soak the oatmeal in cold water for 48 hours and then strain it reserving the liquid and discarding the oatmeal itself. It is the oaty flavoured water you want for making this dessert.

You then mix this with the orange juice and sugar and bring to the boil stirring for at least 15 minutes until it is very thick. timings of this depend on the starchiness of the oatmeal.

Tip; If it doesn’t thicken to your liking add cornflour in a little water to thicken it up.

Remove from heat and allow to cool before stirring in the double cream then pour the flummery into 6 little glasses and chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Then mix the whisky with the honey and add a teaspoonful to each glass. Finally whip the cream and add this on top of the flummery finishing off with a sprinkling of grated zest from the orange.

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How many servings?

This recipe for Flummery will make 6 small servings. As it is a rich dessert make your servings on the small side. I like to serve mine in these small upright glasses with tiny coffee spoons.

This recipe was taken from my Scottish party food book A Wee Taste Of Scotland.

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Here are some other Scottish puds you might like to try;

Cranachan Cheesecake

Porridge Brulee

Cranachan Cream

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.

Photos And Tips AboveMost of my recipes have step by step photos and useful tips plus videos too, see above.

Traditional Old Fashioned Scottish Flummery Recipe - Larder Love (6)

Flummery

Karon Grieve

Flummery is an ancient Scottish dessert that dates back to the 15th century

4.80 from 10 votes

Print Recipe Comment Bookmark Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Scottish

Servings 6 servings

Calories 162 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp medium oatmeal
  • 6 tbsp fresh orange juice
  • 4 tbsp caster sugar
  • 75 ml double cream
  • 2 tbsp Scotch whisky
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  • 75 ml whipping cream
  • zest of 1 orange

MetricUS Customary

Instructions

  • Soak the oatmeal in 450ml/15 floz cold water for 48 hours then drain and discard the oatmeal retaining the liquid

  • Pour the liquid into a pan and add the orange juice and sugar

  • Bring to a boil stirring continuously till thick this can take from 15 minutes depending on the starchiness of the oatmeal used. If it doesn't thicken to your liking add cornflour dissolved in a tiny amount of water to thicken.

  • Remove from heat and allow to cool

  • Stir in the double cream and pour into 6 small serving glasses

  • Chill in fridge for 30 mins

  • Mix whisky with honey and add a teaspoon to each glass

  • Whip the cream and top each glass and sprinkle with orange zest

Notes

If the flummery doesn’t thicken try adding a little cornflour dissolved in water.

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 1gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 10mgPotassium: 53mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 402IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg

My Top Tips*Always read the full recipe first. *Assemble all your ingredients and everything you need before you start. *For baking check the size of tins I’m using as this makes a big difference to your cakes. * I use medium sized eggs unless otherwise stated. * I use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise stated. * I use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated. * Check out My Preserving Kit!

Tried this recipe?Mention @LarderLove or tag #LarderLove

Traditional Old Fashioned Scottish Flummery Recipe - Larder Love (2024)

FAQs

What is flummery made of? ›

Flummery
Flummery from Gerzensee
TypePudding
Place of originGreat Britain
Main ingredientsStarch grains, milk

What is the difference between flummery and blancmange? ›

Blancmange was originally a European dish of meat in a set sauce. Over the years it evolved into a dessert, commonly thickened with cornflour. Flummery is similar, in that it has a natural thickening agent, that needs to be heated to activate the thickening process. They are both set desserts.

What is the most popular Scottish dessert? ›

Millionaire's shortbread or caramel shortbread is a classic Scottish dessert and one of the country's favorite treats whose main appeal lies in its different textures: the crumbly shortcake base, soft caramel in the middle, and the crisp chocolate top.

What does the word flummery mean? ›

Meaning of flummery in English

praise or other polite speech or behavior that is not sincere and does not really mean anything: These letters are full of the most ornate diplomatic flummery.

What does flummery taste like? ›

Flummery is a super easy, two-ingredient dessert made with jelly and cream (tinned or fresh). It has a long history, though its current form is a lot sweeter than the sour porridge-like dish it started out as in 17th century Britain.

What do Scottish drink the most? ›

Irn-Bru has long been the most popularly consumed soft drink in Scotland, consistently beating rivals such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Fanta, and reportedly sells 20 cans every second throughout Scotland.

What is the famous Scottish national dish? ›

Haggis. Haggis is our national dish, and the first recipe dates back to the 15th century (in recorded history).

What is a traditional Scottish breakfast? ›

Usually made up of bacon, link sausages, Lorne sausage (also known as square sausage or slice), black pudding, haggis, baked beans, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, toast, tattie scones and fried eggs, the full Scottish breakfast is a sight to behold.

What is evaporated made of? ›

Evaporated milk is made from fresh, homogenised milk from which 60% of the water has been removed. After the water has been removed, the product is chilled, stabilised, sterilised and packaged.

Can you whip Carnation milk? ›

Sweeten evaporated milk with powdered sugar and a touch of vanilla before whipping it into a foamy topping for cocoa, pie or fresh fruit. A bit of gelatin will give it staying power for a beautiful presentation.

What is gooey butter made of? ›

It is a flat and dense cake made with wheat cake flour, butter, sugar, and eggs, typically near an inch tall, and dusted with powdered sugar. While sweet and rich, it is somewhat firm, and is able to be cut into pieces similarly to a brownie.

What is the jelly coat made of? ›

A sialoprotein (approximately 20% of the mass of the jelly coat) and a fucose sulfate polysaccharide (approximately 80%) are the major macromolecular components of the jelly coat.

References

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