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The clootie was often made on a special occasion, especially a birthday.

Wrapped coins would be placed in the uncooked mixture (if you want to add your own, just make a slit in the dumpling with a sharp knife and slide in a coin wrapped in foil. Remember not to microwave if you add money!).

The clootie would then be 'skelped' or smacked by each person in the family to form it into a nice round shape in the cloot, the person whose birthday it was being the last to skelp it.

The dumpling was then simmered gently in the cloot, resulting in a moist, rich treat for that special occasion.

In a survey of 6,000 people, clootie dumpling was named among the Top 10 traditional Scottish foods (The Food Trust Scotland, 2003).