When I worked in Snaffles Restaurant in Dublin in the early seventies we had a dessert which was a speciality of the house known as “Grape Pud”.
It was embarrassingly easy to put together, some de-pipped grapes were put in the bottom of a ramekin, sprinkled, if one was in the mood, with a little brandy, topped with whipped cream, this cream in turn sprinkled with dark brown sugar which one then caramelised with a salamander.

A salamander in myth and legend was a lizard which could withstand fire so its name was borrowed, in cookery, for a hot grill.
This grill would have originally been an iron which was heated on the flame and then passed over the dish to brown the top without heating the insides.
In time it too came to mean a grilling plate or oven.
The salamander in Snaffles was one of the former type, a small iron disc on a long handle, which one placed on the gas until red hot then, briefly kissed the top of Grape Pud with this thereby caramelising the sugar without heating and melting the whipped cream.
It deserved its popularity.
The contrast between the crisp caramel top, the cream and the grapes was very good indeed.

When I came to work in Ballinakill House in Waterford, some years later, the proprietor; George Gossip, was determined to make Grape Pud there as he had himself enjoyed it in Snaffles.
We lacked the requisite, and extremely old fashioned, salamander.
For a couple of years (this was pre internet times, the late seventies) we searched without success. Both George and I even searched in France on our holidays there (I once thought I spotted one at a Foire des Brocantes only to discover that it was a, similar in style and function but extremely expensive, iron for pressing the collars of gentlemen’s shirts)
About two years after our search I went to stay with some friends in Limerick during January.
While we were there Todds of Limerick, that historic institution on O Connell street was having its annual sale.
There in the window, at £5 each, with the other sale paraphernalia, I spotted to my amazement two salamanders.
I shot in the door and told the surprised sales lady I would buy both.
“Can you hold on a minute” she said, “The manager would like to talk to you”.
He arrived shortly.
“I see” said he “you are buying those things, would you ever tell me what in the name of God they are!”
It seems they had found them in a store room and had put them on the window hoping someone like myself would come and enlighten them.

Nowadays of course the job of the salamander has been overtaken by the kitchen blow torch which does much the same job but, I personally feel, in a much less efficient fashion.

I kept my salamander (I gave the other one to the Gossips) and found it a great tool. With the high popularity of Crème Brulee in the nineties I felt it did a far better job than either grill or blow torch.

Just before I wrote this piece I went searching Google to see if I could find one and of course, without trouble found one in a London catering supplier.
Oh the blessings of the internet.