Sticky end? The British pudding faces extinction, English Heritage warns

Not just boiled or steamed desserts in danger, charity finds, households also rarely make fruit pies and crumbles

At the end of the 17th century a French travel writer who crossed the Channel was clearly impressed by the sweet, comforting treats offered to him, declaring with relish: Ah! What an excellent thing is an English pudding!"

More than three centuries on, English Heritage has sounded the alarm that the good old British pudding is facing extinction.