‘A SIMPLE YET UTTERLY DELICIOUS DESSERT’

Summer pudding

Summer pudding was first served at 19th-century health resorts where pastry was banned, under the unappealing name of hydropathic pudding. Since then, this classic dessert has changed little, with raspberries or blackberries always used to give it some punch.

SERVES 6-8

PREPARATION TIME 25 minutes, plus chilling

COOKING TIME 5 minutes

400g sliced day-old white bread, crusts removed

800g mixed berries, such as raspberries, tayberries, loganberries, blackberries and blueberries 175g vanilla caster sugar 2tbsp crème de cassis

1 Dampen a 1-litre pudding bowl with cold water, then line with clingfilm, ensuring it overlaps the edges. Cut a circle of bread for the bottom and rectangles for the sides. 2 Put the fruit into a pan with the caster sugar, crème de cassis and 2tbsp water. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar and soften the fruit – it should be tender but keep its shape.

3 Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and set aside. Briefly dip the bread slices in the juices and use to line the base, then the sides of the bowl, ensuring they overlap.

4 Tip the fruit into the bowl and cover with more of the juice-soaked bread. Cover the top with clingfilm. Put a small plate on top and weigh down with tins. Set on a plate to catch any juices and chill overnight. Save any leftover juice to serve with the pudding (or to brush over any white patches of bread if necessary).

5 Peel back the clingfilm and turn the pudding on to a serving plate. Remove the bowl and the clingfilm and, using a pastry brush, paint any white patches with the reserved juice. Slice and serve with cream or Greek yogurt.