Perfect summer pudding recipe

Flick a bit of grease around a glass pudding basin and line it with pieces of crustless, stale white bread. Gently cook – but do not boil – about 2lbs of summer fruit, preferably a colourful mix of raspberries, blackberries, loganberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants (for some reason, strawberries don’t work, except for decoration) in 2 tablespoonfuls of water and 6oz of sugar until soft.

Pour into the bread-lined basin, keeping a little back for decoration, and cover with more bread. Cover with a plate or saucer that fits inside the rim of the bowl and weigh down. Check that the juice is flooding the bread – white patches aren’t a good look – and give it a shake if necessary. Refrigerate overnight.

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To serve, tip it out on a dish and place the left-over fruit on top so the juice runs down the side. Serve with clotted cream or creme fraiche.

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(If you want to be really pretentious, make individual puddings in ramekins.)

Top summer tip for serving strawberries:

Hull, sprinkle with sugar and balsamic vinegar – it’s the vinegar that makes all the difference.

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