Making 24 servings

Multiply all quantities by 6, so:

6 Tablespoons dried peas
6 Tablespoon lentils
6 Tablespoons pearl barley
6 lb lamb
6 lb beef cubes
salt and pepper
6 Tablespoons flour
3 lb onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 small black puddings (each is about ¾ lb)
9 lb potatoes, more or less
6 10½ oz cans of beef broth
6 pudding basins

Special Instructions

Most residential ovens will only fit 4 basins at a time, so be prepared to make two batches, and spend 6 hours baking since each batch cooks for three hours. While you could cook the dish in large roasting pans, you'd lose the domestic friendliness and authenticity of the pudding basins. The pudding basins make a much more social presentation than huge steamers of meat.

Most of the prep time is spent chopping onions and scrubbing and slicing potatoes. Do this ahead or assign the task to another. And since the amount of the potatoes you'll need depends on the size and shape of your cooking vessel, be sure to have enough on hand. You may only need 8 lbs, but purchase 10 lbs just in case.