No.89 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding

Made famous by Delia Smith

Photo: Kolforn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course, 1978.

The British Sunday lunch, and Delia's book is the one that taught Britain to make it. Her Yorkshire pudding method is still the standard.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course.

Ingredients

• For the beef: one 2-rib roast or sirloin on the bone, about 4 to 5 lb (1.8 to 2.3 kg)
• 1 tbsp English mustard powder
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 onion, halved
• For the Yorkshire pudding: 3/4 cup (75 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup (75 ml) milk mixed with 1/4 cup (55 ml) water
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp beef dripping or vegetable oil
• For the gravy: 1 tbsp flour, 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) beef stock or vegetable cooking water, a splash of red wine

Steps

1. Take the beef out of the fridge 1 hour ahead. Heat the oven to 475F (240C).
2. Mix the mustard powder and flour and rub it over the fat of the beef. Season well. Put the onion halves in a roasting pan and sit the beef on them, fat side up.
3. Roast 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375F (190C) and roast 15 minutes per pound (450 g) for rare, plus 15 minutes for medium. A thermometer in the center should read 125F (52C) for rare or 135F (57C) for medium.
4. Meanwhile, make the batter: sift the flour into a bowl, make a well, and break in the egg. Whisk, gradually adding the milk and water, until smooth. Season and let it stand.
5. Move the beef to a board, cover loosely with foil and rest 30 minutes. Turn the oven up to 425F (220C).
6. Put the dripping in a 12-cup muffin tin or a 7 by 11-inch pan and heat it in the oven until smoking hot, about 10 minutes. Whisk the batter again and pour it in. Bake 25 to 30 minutes (15 to 20 for small puddings) until risen, crisp and deep brown. Don't open the oven.
7. For the gravy, spoon off most of the fat from the roasting pan, set it over medium heat, stir in the flour and cook 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits. Add the stock and wine and whisk until smooth, simmering until slightly thickened. Season and strain.
8. Carve the beef and serve with the puddings, gravy, roast potatoes and horseradish.

Chef's tips

• The fat must be smoking hot when the batter goes in. That's what makes it rise.
• Use the resting time to finish the potatoes and vegetables.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course by Delia Smith: get the book.

← No. 88Victoria Sponge→ No. 90Sticky Toffee Pudding