Hailing from the Great North, the Cumberland Rum Nicky heralds from the time when the Cumbrian ports brought in sugar, rum and ginger from the Caribbean. This pie made the most of the dried produce that was available to produce a stodgy, sweet pudding laced with a generous helping of rum. Best served warm with some cream; this treat is sure to warm you up in the evening.
Cumberland Rum Nicky Method:
Mix all the filling ingredients, except the butter, and then set aside to allow the rum to soak into the fruit.
Next, make your pastry. Mix flour with the icing sugar before rubbing the butter in until you have breadcrumbs. Make sure your hands are nice and cold.
Mix the egg with two tablespoons of water and the lemon. Make a well in your breadcrumb mix and pour the egg mix in. Use a table knife to first bring the pastry together, adding splashes of water if it seems dry.
Once the dough sticks together use your hands to knead it into a ball, taking care not to overwork it. Wrap it in cling film and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.
While your pastry is resting, preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Take your dough from the fridge and cut it into two pieces, one around a third of the overall size and the other around two thirds.
Roll the larger section of pastry out on a floured work surface until you can line a 20cm pie dish with it, leaving excess pastry hanging over the edge. Spread the filling inside and dot with cubed butter.
Roll out the smaller ball of pastry into a rectangular shape, cutting into eight strips around 1cm wide. Make a lattice out of these strips on a piece of baking parchment.
Use a little water to dampen the edges of the pastry in the pie dish then place your lattice on top, pressing the ends into place.
Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down slightly and bake at 160c for another 20mins.
Serve your Rum Nicky warm with some cream.
