(Serves 6)
10 to 12 slices white bread, with the crusts removed
200 g granulated sugar or light muscovado
250 g each raspberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants
200 g strawberries
150 g gooseberries, loganberries or blueberries
Rinse and drain the fruit, and then top, tail and hull where necessary.
To detach currants from their stems, simply run a fork or your fingers down the length of the stem.
Put the fruit in a pan, and sprinkle the sugar over it. Set on a low heat until the juices run and the sugar dissolves. If you use gooseberries, start these off first, without any sugar and just a couple of tablespoons of water, as the skins are much tougher than the other fruit. Once they have begun to soften, add the rest of the fruit and sugar and proceed as above. Add up to four tablespoons of water to encourage the juice. Check for sweetness.
Remove from heat. Start lining the pudding basins. I find this works best if you cut square slices into wedge-shaped pieces, and place these, narrow end down, in the basin, having first dipped the pieces of bread in the fruit juice. Continue overlapping the slices slightly until the basin is fully lined.
Cut a small circle of bread to fit the bottom. Pour in the fruit to fill the basin. The bread will quickly absorb the juice, but reserve a few tablespoons of it. Fit pieces of bread over the top so that the fruit is completely covered. Press down, cover with cling film and place a weight on top to pack the whole thing as tightly as possible. Refrigerate.
To serve, turn out on to a large plate and pour the reserved juice over the puddings. Serve clotted cream, crème fraîche, ricotta, mascarpone or fromage blanc.
Cook’s note
Despite the amount of liquid, the pudding freezes rather well, so it is perhaps worth making a couple if you have a large stock of soft fruit needing to be used. Make the pudding as above, but use a lidded plastic pudding container, chilling and weighting the pudding first for several hours in the refrigerator. Cover, wrap in cling film and freeze.
Freeze the extra juice separately. To serve, thaw out and allow the pudding to come to cool room temperature.
The late Jane Grigson used to do this and serve a summer pudding to her family on Christmas Day.