British · Authentic-ish British
Rumbledethumps
243 kcal a serving, against 420 for the traditional version. That is 177 kcal off, or 42%, with 7.7g of protein. Serves 4. 50 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Rumbledethumps as your gran remembers it: heapings of mashed potato and boiled cabbage, mashed together with butter, salt and pepper, then topped with an avalanche of grated cheddar cheese and baked until golden and bubbling at the edges. Some versions smuggle in onion or leek for depth, but the core is all about the butter and cheese holding the veg in a rich, creamy cuddle.
What changed, and what each change costs
80g butter to a quarter of that (20g), just for the mash
Butter is where the traditional recipe gets its creamy heart and its large trousers. You can still get some flavour and gloss into the mash with a modest pat. 20 grams won't drown the veg, but unless you're very Scottish at heart, you won't cry.
What it costs you. You lose the almost sauce-like richness that pulls everything together. The top tends to be a bit more potato than silky mash, and scraping the crust for buttery bits is a lost cause. Still, you're not left with dry stodge.
Most of the cheddar out, keeping only 40g on top
Cheese is delicious, but it's the second big calorie culprit. A good strong mature cheddar means you only need a small amount for a hit of flavour once it's been crisped and browned.
What it costs you. No more gooey cheese running through the veg. You notice the cabbage and potato properly, which has both up- and downsides depending on your childhood memories. The top is still golden with a bit of bite, just less lavish.
Add a splash of semi-skimmed milk (40g) to loosen the mash
With the butter mostly gone, you still need moisture. Milk lightens and loosens the mash enough so you aren't just left with a tray of dense veg.
What it costs you. A thinner mash, so it's less like a Sunday lunch side and more like a midweek bake. It's a fair trade, unless you insist on your rumbledethumps being able to stand a fork upright.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 420 | 243 |
| Protein | 12.4g | 7.7g |
| Fat | 25.6g | 7.6g |
| Saturated fat | 15.9g | 4.6g |
| Carbohydrate | 37.8g | 38.2g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.9g | 3.2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish British prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, milk.
The method is in the book
This isn't quite the claggy, luxurious rumbledethumps that sees off a hangover or a Highland winter. Taking down the butter and cheddar means you're left with proper potato and cabbage rather than a weekly cholesterol challenge. I won't pretend it'll make you forget the original - and you might want to go back to that when it's really howling outside - but you can dish this up on a weeknight, feel like you're eating a real plate of food, and not immediately head for the sofa or the regret spiral. For once, the veg actually get to show off what they're made of.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish British, along with 57 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.