By Keighley’s Mike Armstrong, an award-winning master baker with a big passion for baking...

ORANGES and lemons, say the bells of St Clement's ­– so begins the well-known nursery rhyme about church bells of London.

Like so many rhymes supposedly for children, this one has a gruesome end: ''Here comes a candle to light you to bed, and here comes a chopper to chop off your head! Chip, chop, chip, chop, the last man is dead.''

Not a likely inspiration for a dessert, is it? Nevertheless, over the centuries, St Clement's has come to stand not for tragedy, but for the cheerful fusion of orange and lemon confection in the form of a cake!

I bet most people can only remember the first two lines of this nursery rhyme, and then the words become a bit of a mumble thereafter – well, it has been a long time since I was at school!

Maybe the fact this nursery rhyme still sticks in my mind is down to its sinister undertones – child sacrifices, public execution, even a reference to the beheading of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of Henry VIII's wives, could this be a case for Sherlock Holmes?

So what exactly is the origin and significance of the lyrics to the rhyme? The answer is, nobody really knows. The first recorded lyrics in 1744 are different to those as we know them today, but at least now I have a good excuse to whistle the lyrics in the shower!

The good news is cooking with zest has its benefits – orange peel has flavanones, which help lower your blood pressure; and lemon peel contains calcium, vitamin C and fibre, which must be a good thing in a pudding at this time of the year.

Steamed puddings are a traditional British dessert eaten in the bleakest of winter months – ''bring us a figgy pudding!'' comes to mind – and a plus with this recipe is that it's not steaming for hours, as you put a roasting tin in the oven which you place your cake tin into and it's baked in under an hour.

There's nothing like eating a sponge pudding with custard on a cold, miserable January day; it's a perfect winter pick-me-up dessert to help you through the remaining darker months. Steamed puddings have a long history in British cooking and will always be welcome in my house this time of year!

RECIPE

ST CLEMENT’S PUDDING

Serves 4

Ingredients:

50g/2oz butter or margarine

125g/4oz caster sugar

1 large orange

1 large lemon

2 eggs, separated

50g/2oz self-raising flour, sift

300ml/ 1/2 pint milk

Icing sugar to dredge

Method:

1. Lightly grease a 1 litre/2 pint deep ovenproof dish and preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/Gas Mark 5.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with the sugar and the grated rinds of the orange and lemon until pale and fluffy.

3. Add the egg yolks and flour; beat well. Stir in the milk and 45ml/3 tablespoons of strained lemon juice and 30ml/2 tablespoons of strained orange juice.

4. Whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks, then fold into the mixture with a large metal spoon.

5. Pour mixture into dish and stand dish in a roasting tin containing enough water to come halfway up the sides of the dish.

6. Bake for around 45 minutes to an hour or until spongy to touch, and serve with a dredging of icing sugar piping hot.