A Pinch-Me Moment: Talking Yorkshire Puddings on ITV Calendar
There are moments that stop you in your tracks a little, moments where you quietly think, this is one I’ll remember. Being featured on ITV Calendar ahead of National Yorkshire Pudding Day 2026 was exactly that.
From filming at home earlier in the day, to standing in the studio with trays of freshly baked Yorkshire puddings under the lights, it was a proper Yorkshire experience from start to finish. Watching a live broadcast being produced, then being part of it, gave me a whole new appreciation for the craft behind regional television, and it’s a moment I’ll genuinely treasure.
Talking Yorkshire Puddings on Live TV
The segment aired towards the end of the programme, perfectly timed ahead of this weekend’s celebrations. The presenters introduced National Yorkshire Pudding Day as a day dedicated to “the greatest of all Sunday roast complements” which is exactly how it should be described.
I was invited into the studio with a batch of Yorkshire puddings we’d made earlier that morning with the ITV Calendar team. I’ll admit it: cooking with cameras rolling always adds a bit of pressure. But thankfully, the puddings rose beautifully, crisp, golden, and doing exactly what Yorkshire puddings should do.
When asked about the secret to an award-winning Yorkshire pudding, I shared the two things I always come back to.
The first is white pepper. It’s a seasoning that’s quietly fallen out of favour as black pepper became the default, but white pepper brings warmth without overpowering the batter. It belongs in a Yorkshire pudding.
The second, and arguably most important, is beef dripping. I described it as liquid gold, because that’s exactly what it is. The smell alone is the smell of a roast beef dinner. Yorkshire puddings are made from flour, eggs and milk, ingredients with very little flavour on their own, so the flavour has to come from somewhere. Hot beef dripping does that job perfectly.
We also talked about one of the most common questions I’m asked: milk versus water. Sparkling water does help with rise because it creates steam in the oven, but I personally use milk for richness. Some people use a half-and-half approach to get the best of both worlds, and that’s part of the joy of Yorkshire puddings. There’s room for personal preference, as long as the fundamentals are right.
Rise, Height and Frozen Yorkshire Puddings
There was plenty of chat about what can go wrong too. Overcooked Yorkshire puddings turn to dust; undercooked ones collapse into something closer to a pancake. The balance matters.
One of my favourite moments in the segment was talking about height. There’s a statistic often quoted, originally referenced by the Royal Society of Chemistry, that a Yorkshire pudding isn’t really a Yorkshire pudding unless it’s at least four inches tall. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about some shop-bought frozen versions…
That said, I did make an important distinction: homemade Yorkshire puddings freeze brilliantly. I make batches, freeze them, and reheat them for curries, chillies, and midweek dinners. Frozen doesn’t have to mean compromised, as long as they’re homemade.
From Cookery School to World Yorkshire Pudding Champion
The presenters also asked how I ended up becoming a World Yorkshire Pudding Champion in the first place. It’s a story I still smile about.
Back in 2010, I entered a competition at a cookery school, turning up with a bag of ingredients after a night out in London and feeling more than a little rough around the edges. I cooked, I won, and didn’t think much more of it, until the phone started ringing the following Monday. Newspapers, radio, interviews… and suddenly I was being introduced as the World Yorkshire Pudding Champion. The title stuck, and I’ve been proudly flying the flag for Yorkshire puddings ever since.
Yorkshire Puddings Beyond Yorkshire
One thing that always surprises people is just how far Yorkshire puddings have travelled. During the segment, I talked about the messages and photos I receive every week from around the world, Canada, the US, China and beyond. What started as a regional staple has become something global, while still staying fiercely rooted in Yorkshire tradition.
We even touched on sweet Yorkshire puddings, something I explored years ago while filming with Mary Berry, creating a rhubarb and custard Yorkshire pudding with crumble, popping candy and glaze. It raised a few eyebrows then, and it still does now, but that versatility is part of what makes Yorkshire puddings so special.
Watch the Episode
If you’d like to watch the full ITV Calendar segment, including the studio chat, viewer submissions and plenty of Yorkshire pudding debate, you can catch the episode here:
National Yorkshire Pudding Day 2026
National Yorkshire Pudding Day takes place this Sunday 1 February 2026, always on the first Sunday in February. Whether you’re cooking from scratch, aiming for maximum rise, or simply enjoying one with a proper roast and plenty of gravy, this weekend is about celebrating one of Britain’s greatest dishes.
Ovens hot. Fat hotter. Standards high.
Happy National Yorkshire Pudding Day.
