Shoppers at today’s official opening of a new furniture store in Ipswich will get a chance to try a local delicacy.

A recipe for “Ipswich Almond Pudding” appeared in The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy by Hannah Glasse, a classic culinary reference source of the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Although it does appear on local menues from time to time, the almond pudding has never achieved the wider fame of Yorkshire Pudding which also made an early appearance in print in the same publication.

Now, however, it has inspired the creation of a local speciality for the launch at Futura Park, Ipswich, of a new branch of Furniture Village, which is known for its offer of coffee and cookies for its customers.

The recipe has been updated by Steve Robson, head chef at the Cookhouse restaurant at the Suffolk Food Hall, just outside Ipswich at Wherstead.

Wayne Dennington, general manager at the new store, said: “We thought a great way to get involved in the local community would be to team up with a business in the area on an exciting project. Our chosen expert confectioner has come up with a marvellous pastry version of our chosen traditional pudding.”

Steve Robson added: “We had a great time experimenting with the original recipe in order to make a delicious tartlet version. We refined Mrs Glasse’s original recipe slightly and added more almonds and sugar and less breadcrumbs, which we feel made the pastries even better.”