Summer Pudding

Method13 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Wash all the fruit and gently dry it on kitchen paper. Hull the strawberries (300 g), cutting large ones into smaller pieces, and keep them separate and uncooked. Remove redcurrant (100 g) stalks. Keep the prepared blackberries (250 g), redcurrants and raspberries (500 g) together. Put all the caster sugar (175 g) and three tablespoons water into a large pan.

   Uses 300 g fresh strawberries · 250 g fresh blackberries · 100 g fresh redcurrants · 500 g fresh raspberries · 175 g caster sugar · 3 tbsp water for berry syrup

2. 2

   Step 2: Heat the sugar-water pan gently, stirring a few times until the sugar dissolves. Bring the syrup to a boil for one minute, then add all the prepared blackberries, redcurrants and raspberries. Keep the prepared strawberries out of the pan.

   Boil dissolved sugar syrup before adding berries · 1 minUses All sugar-water pan and prepared non-strawberry berries; hold strawberries separately

3. 3

   Step 3: Cook the berry-syrup mixture gently over low heat for three minutes, stirring two or three times. The berries should soften but stay mostly intact, surrounded by dark red juice.

   Gently cook the three berry types · 3 minUses All the berry-syrup pan

4. 4

   Step 4: Set a sieve over a separate bowl and tip all the cooked berries and juice into it. Keep the softened berries in the sieve and collect all their red juice in the bowl for coating the bread and later serving.

   Uses All cooked fruit and its juice

5. 5

   Step 5: Line a 1.25-litre pudding basin with two overlapping pieces of food-safe cling film, arranging them to cover the curved base and sides.

6. 6

   Step 6: Leave the basin lining overhanging its rim by about 15 cm. Cut the crusts from all seven bread slices and keep the trimmed slices ready for shaping.

   Uses 7 slices bread

7. 7

   Step 7: Cut four of the crustless slices in half at a slight angle, making eight uneven rectangles. Cut two slices into four triangles each, making eight triangles. Leave the final slice whole. Keep these three bread groups separate.

   Uses All seven prepared crustless slices

8. 8

   Step 8: Dip the one whole prepared slice in the collected red juice for a few seconds to coat it. Press it into the bottom of the lined basin, retaining the remaining juice and bread pieces.

   Uses One whole crustless slice; hold rectangles and triangles separately · Collected red juice for dipping; retain berries and unused juice

9. 9

   Step 9: Dip the eight rectangular bread pieces one at a time in the retained juice. Press them around the basin sides, alternating wide and narrow ends to fit snugly. Trim the last rectangle into a triangle if necessary to close a gap, coating it with juice before placing it. Keep all unused juice for the top and serving.

   Uses basin base and remaining dipping juice · Eight rectangles from four crustless slices; retain all triangles

10. 10

    Step 10: Spoon all the softened cooked berries into the bread-lined basin, adding all the prepared uncooked strawberries here and there as you fill it.

    Uses lined basin; keep unused juice aside · All the softened drained berries, after juice was collected · All the held prepared uncooked strawberries

11. 11

    Step 11: Dip all eight retained bread triangles in the remaining juice and arrange them over the filling to close the top. Trim any bread projecting beyond the rim with scissors. Reserve all the juice left after dipping in a covered container for serving.

    Uses The full fruit-filled basin and remaining dipping juice · All eight triangles from the remaining two bread slices

12. 12

    Step 12: Bring the overhanging cling film over the closed pudding to seal it loosely. Put a small plate on top and weight it with clean unopened cans that fit securely, keeping the separate leftover juice covered.

    Uses All assembled pudding and separate covered leftover juice

13. 13

    Step 13: Refrigerate the weighted pudding for six hours, keeping its reserved leftover juice refrigerated too. Once set, remove the cans and plate and open the cling film. Place a serving plate upside down on the basin and carefully turn it over to unmould; lift away the basin and peel off all the film. Slice and serve the set pudding with its reserved juice and cream, plus the optional extra berries if wanted.

    Refrigerate weighted summer pudding for six hours · 360 minUses The whole assembled weighted pudding and reserved juice · Cream to serve, as desired · Extra fresh berries to serve, if desired