| Jam roly-poly | |
| Alternate Name: | Dead Man's Arm, Dead Man's Leg, Roly poly pudding |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Type: | Pudding |
| Main Ingredient: | Suet, jam |
Jam roly-poly, shirt-sleeve pudding, dead man's arm or dead man's leg is a traditional British pudding probably first created in the early 19th century.[1] [2] It is a flat-rolled suet pudding, which is spread with jam and rolled up, similar to a Swiss roll, then steamed or baked and traditionally served with custard. In days past, jam roly-poly was also known as shirt-sleeve pudding, because it was often steamed and served in an old shirt-sleeve,[3] leading to the nicknames of dead-man's arm and dead man's leg. In the past it was known as roly poly pudding.[4]
Jam roly-poly features in Mrs Beeton's cookery book, as roly-poly jam pudding.[5] It is one of a range of puddings that are now considered part of the classic desserts of the mid 20th century British school dinners. Jam roly-poly is considered a modern British classic, alongside sticky toffee pudding and spotted dick.[6] In Beatrix Potter's 1908 book The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or, The Roly-Poly Pudding, the character Tom Kitten is rolled into a pudding by the invading rats.