St Clement’s sponge with Lady Grey custard

Oranges and lemons say the bells of St Clement’s, hence the name of this orange and lemon pud. Bergamot is an unusual citrus that you might find in specialist delis at this time of year, but it’s also the flavouring used in Lady Grey tea, and you can use it to make this bergamot-scented custard.

Serves 4

1 large orange 1 unwaxed lemon 100g softened butter 100g sugar

2 large eggs

100g self raising flour 1 tsp baking powder

for the lady grey custard

500ml full fat milk

150ml double cream

2 tbsp loose Lady Grey tea leaves 6 egg yolks

125g caster sugar

1 tbsp cornflour

you will need

850ml pudding basin, lined with cling film

Nonstick baking paper

String

1 Zest the orange and lemon into a large mixing bowl. Remove the pith from the fruit and discard, then cut the fruit into 1cm slices and arrange around the base and sides of your lined pudding basin.

2 Add the butter and sugar to the bowl with the zest and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then fold in with a wooden spoon. Squeeze in the juice from any leftover citrus slices and stir this in, too. Spoon the mixture into the cling-lined basin.

3 Take a large piece of nonstick baking paper and fold a generous pleat across the middle to create a seam that can expand with steaming. Tie the paper firmly around the top of the basin with string. Sit a trivet or upturned saucer in a large pan, then place the basin on top. Pour boiling water into the pan to halfway up the side of the basin. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer gently for 2 hours, topping up with water if you need to.

4 Meanwhile, for the custard, heat the milk and cream in a pan until just coming to the boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the tea leaves and set aside to brew and cool for 10 minutes.

5 In a large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour. Sieve the cooled milk and tea mixture over the egg mixture, whisking as you go. Discard the tea leaves.

6 Rinse out your pan and return the mixture to it . Stir continuously over a low heat with a wooden spoon for about 10 mins, until it reaches the consistency of single cream.

7 When the pudding is ready, carefully remove the basin from the pan, untie the paper, then upturn onto a serving plate and remove the cling film. Serve immediately with the custard.

Cook’s note: If at any point the custard mixture starts to curdle, remove it from the heat and plunge the base of the pan into a bowl of cold water, then whisk hard until the lumps go smooth. You can then heat it gently again before serving.