It's funny that you mentioned this today. Just last night my wife and I had an English couple over at our house, with whom we are very good friends, and we were discussing this very subject. I was complaining that I had tried making a proper figgy pudding, as well as a clootie dumpling, and had met with only marginal results. I was assured by the male half of this couple that he would show me how to make it properly, including the tricky art of steaming it. I'm really looking forward to it, actually, since I do appreciate a good suet-based pudding.

The big winner has been a slightly modified version of the Christmas pudding recipe. Almost no sugar, lots of dried fruit, LOTS of brandy, and aged for several months before serving. It's become a Christmas tradition in my family, and I've had rave reviews from a couple of older friends who grew up in the UK. It's not your average fruitcake.
While not in the realm of suet pudding (but since you mentioned fruitcake), you should try black bun. It's an interesting - and distinctly Scottish - holiday alternative to the average fruitcake. I posted the recipe I use here a couple of years ago.

The more everyday puddings I've tried, such as Spotted Dog, are good in context -- they're hot, fatty, solid foods that make sense for a cool, damp climate and people doing hard physical work. They're not something you'd want to serve in August.
Is Spotted Dog the same thing as Spotted Dick? I'm familiar with the latter but have never heard of the former.

Another thing I noticed from poking around in that cookbook is that we've lost a whole family of hot drinks that used to be common. The hot, rich drinks that taverns would have served to cold travelers -- mulled wines and ales, flips, possets, etc. -- have almost disappeared from modern life, with eggnog being the only surviving relative. I've tried a few, and they are very effective at warming one from the inside out. Central heating is probably as responsible for their demise as changing tastes.
Heh, I agree completely. My mother used to make a hot spiced punch that was excellent at warming us up on the (rare) wintry-cold days. It seems that nobody really does that any more. But I do have to say that I've noticed a resurgence in the idea of mulled wines, and I think it's partly due to the influence of the series of books A Song of Fire and Ice, of which A Game of Thrones is part. Mulled wine makes many appearances in the books, and was so sought after that it has been included in the official cookbook that was recently released. I haven't yet tried the recipe, but it has had good reviews. Maybe when the cold weather finally reaches Texas, it'll be worth a shot!