Summer Pudding

Instructions

1- Bring out the juices: Wash fruit and gently dry on kitchen paper – keep strawberries separate.

2- Put sugar and 3 tbsp water into a large pan.

3- Gently heat until sugar dissolves – stir a few times.

4- Bring to a boil for 1 min, then tip in the fruit (not strawberries).

5- Cook for 3 mins over a low heat, stirring 2-3 times.

6- The fruit will be softened, mostly intact and surrounded by dark red juice.

7- Put a sieve over a bowl and tip in the fruit and juice.

8- Line the bowl with cling film and prepare the bread: Line the 1.

9- 25-litre basin with cling film as this will help you to turn out the pudding.

10- Overlap two pieces of cling film in the middle of the bowl as it’s easier than trying to get one sheet to stick to all of the curves.

11- Let the edges overhang by about 15cm.

12- Cut the crusts off the bread.

13- Cut 4 pieces of bread in half, a little on an angle, to give 2 lopsided rectangles per piece.

14- Cut 2 slices into 4 triangles each and leave the final piece whole.

15- Build the pud: Dip the whole piece of bread into the juice for a few secs just to coat.

16- Push this into the bottom of the basin.

17- Now dip the wonky rectangular pieces one at a time and press around the basin’s sides so that they fit together neatly, alternately placing wide and narrow ends up.

18- If you can’t quite fit the last piece of bread in it doesn’t matter, just trim into a triangle, dip in juice and slot in.

19- Now spoon in the softened fruit, adding the strawberries here and there as you go.

20- Let flavours mingle then serve: Dip the bread triangles in juice and place on top – trim off overhang with scissors.

21- Keep leftover juice for later.

22- Bring cling film up and loosely seal.

23- Put a side plate on top and weight down with cans.

24- Chill for 6 hrs or overnight.

25- To serve, open out cling film then put a serving plate upside-down on top and flip over.

26- serve with leftover juice, any extra berries and cream.