A LIGHT TREAT

Summer pudding is a traditional British dessert. The recipe is thought to date back to at least the 19th century, when it was known by the rather less tempting name of ‘hydropathic pudding’. It was served in health spas as a lighter, less fattening alternative to other fruity desserts of the period, which were often encased in rich pastry. The recipe is thought to have first appeared in print as ‘Summer pudding’ in 1904, in a cookbook written by Miss E S Poynter. In addition to making the most of those glorious summer berries, it is an excellent way of using up slightly stale bread.