How To Make Summer Pudding by Cherry Menlove

What you will need:

150g vanilla sugar

4 tbsp water

750g summer fruits (I used strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, but loganberries and blackberries are also great fruits for this pud.)

6-7 slices of thin white bread (crusts removed)

Whipped cream to serve

1 ½ pint pudding bowl

You can find a weight conversion chart here!

Wash and hull the selection of summer berries you have chosen.

In a large saucepan, combine the vanilla sugar and the water and heat gently over a low heat until it starts to bubble.

Add the summer berries to the saucepan with the sugar water and stir gently. Cook the berries until they start to simmer and become soft but still retain their shape. Remove from the heat and allow to cool down.

Take your pudding bowl and start shaping and packing your sliced white bread around the inside and bottom of the bowl. You can cut the bread into any shape(s) you like but ideally there should be no spaces left for the fruit to escape from once it is lined.

Take your warm fruit and gently spoon it into the bread-lined bowl, taking extra care not to break the fruits. When all the fruit has been transferred to the bowl, you will need to cut out a bread hat for your pud, (once the pud has set it will be turned upside down and the hat will become the base) ensuring that the bread is packed tightly together and no holes are left.

To finish, place a small plate on top of the pudding bowl and allow to cool for 2-3 hours in a cool dry place.