The Bedfordshire clanger is a traditional English dish originating from Bedfordshire and neighboring counties, documented since at least the 19th century. Characterized as an elongated suet pastry dumpling, the clanger was conventionally boiled in a cloth and filled with savory ingredients such as bacon, liver, potatoes, and sage, though sweet fillings like jam or fruit at one end—known as “‘alf an’ ‘alf”—have also been reported.
Similar to the use of Cornish pasty by miners in Cornwall, the dish was prepared as a portable, protective meal for agricultural laborers, with its dense, heavy crust often intended to shield the filling from dirty hands.