… I had a lazy day yesterday thumbing through my cookbooks looking for a recipe for this month’s tea time treats challenge hosted so wonderfully by the lovely Karen from Lavender and Lovage and Kate from What Kate Baked… the theme for this month is jelly’s, ice creams and chilled desserts and I was at a bit of a loss to be honest because quite frankly i’ve not really been in the mood for much cooking lately and I feel like the constant challenge to push myself is becoming a bit of a chore… when I get into this kind of baking funk I turn to my old friends the cookbooks and whilst there was a plethora of clever recipes for all kinds of appropriate dishes it was the simple and glorious tradition of the Summer Pudding that got me in the end… as it happens the recipe is adapted from one I found in my grab and run Delia Smith book… Delia’s Complete Cookery Course. I don’t remember when I first had a summer pudding but I do remember how fascinated I was by the fact that it uses bread as it’s building structure, much like it’s more autumnal cousin the bread and butter pudding and I simply adore the fact that all the incredible red berry juices soak into the bread so beautifully.
summer pudding
I have a bit of a thing about chilled fruit puddings you see… whilst many of you out there will eat your traditional british puddings warm with custard I really like my fruit pies, crumbles and puddings served cold from the fridge with a dollop of pouring cream… I have no idea where I got this particular peculiarity from but I just can’t help myself… i’ve even been known to place cake into the fridge and serve this really cold too, there’s something that the coldness does to the taste and consistency that I prefer… maybe it enhances the tartness of the fruit or it could be simply that because it’s cold I can eat it quicker… whatever the reason the Summer Pudding is my ideal dessert.
this recipe is for a 15cm pudding basin
a few slices of thick cut white bread
400g mixed summer berries – the Lincolnshire Co-Op do a frozen summer berry box
2 or 3 tablespoons golden caster sugar – depending on taste
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
use a little butter to grease your pudding basin then take the slices of bread and patchwork them into the basin… I usually cut a circle for the base and then triangles for the sides, fitting in pieces where there are patches… make sure you leave enough for a lid
in a pan add the fruit, orange blossom water, sugar and vinegar and gently heat… you want it to heat through for a few minutes so the sugar dissolves but so that the fruit doesn’t lose it’s texture
pour the fruit into the pudding, place the lid on top and then place a small plate on top of the pudding – small enough so that it touches the pudding, then place something heavy on top and pop it in the fridge for at least 24 hours
once you’re ready to serve turn the pudding upside down and tap it on top… sometimes the pudding drops out easily but on occasion the butter used to line the dish solidifies and you may have to wait a while for it to melt and release the pudding
serve with lashings of cream
eat and of course, enjoy!
That looks really lovely. I never tried Summer pudding before but you are convincing me that I should try it! Beautiful.
That looks really lovely. I never tried Summer pudding before but you are convincing me that I should try it! Beautiful.
One of our favourites. It's hard to make Summer Pudding look good, but yours looks pretty wonderful!
You CANNOT beat a GOOD Summer Pudding and Delia's is my “to go to” recipe too! LOVELY LOVELY photos Dom and what an amazing Tea Time Treat! THANKS so much! Karen
I haven't had a summer pudding for years and years – what a treat!
Ah thanks Dom, an absolutely lovely summery entry to TTT! Such a refreshing, fruity pud. Good ol' Delia! x
THAT PUDDING.Looks absolutely glorious.
I also have a thing for warm puds with warm custard, but a cold pud with cold cream sounds wonderful for (the odd day) when the sun is shining. Good one dom! x
This is one of our favorite desserts and it has been much too long since it has graced our table. Thanks for the delicious reminder.
Best,
Bonnie
this looks SO delicious – thank you for reminding me to make a summer pudding before the end of the summer!
Mary x
All those berries look so beautiful!
You really are on a red theme! Frist made summer pudding at school! It amazed me, and head straight for it on the cake table. So easy so effective and look how lovely and juicy red it is. Can't wait for summer here. Pinned as a reminder!
I haven't made a summer pudding in ages, but it's now at the top of my pudding list, thanks for such a delicious reminder.
I've never tried summer pudding before but I don't know why because every time I see it it looks so good. Such pretty colours!
That my friend looks stunning. I love summer pudding and I want to make one before the season is out but I just can't seem to find the right pudding bowl, I don't know if it's me looking in the wrong shops but it seems impossible to get the right size ceramic pudding bowl anywhere. Shops seem to be full of pizza wheels, heart shaped cookie cutters and flippin' vintage aprons!
I have had a summer pud on my list to make for some time Dom. It is possible that this will be the summer I push myself to bring this delicious treat to the table.
this looks so good and funny you say it I am eating cold flapjack
I'm with you Dom. I love cold puddings, but sometimes with warm custard… I like the contrast. But for this glorious summer pudding, cold cream for sure! Beautiful Dom.
I've never made a summer pudding, it's always on my to-bake list but it always seems to get demoted – then you come along with lovely photos like this and it shoots right back up the top again 🙂
Dom
Have you applied to be on the GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF ?
Summer pudding is my ALL time favourite, ever since I was a kidlet, partly because it was always made with such ceremony by by older sisters. Cold puddings are the best, especially eaten from the fridge the next morning. And I must say, the raspberries I had in England in July were absolutely stunning.
This looks lovely. Funnily enough I have been thinking of making this for a while and now I am inspired to have a try
Proper job! Needs lots of Cornish clotted cream with it… Maybe lining the bowl with clingfilm would help with getting it out when required?
Re: your comment about chilled fruit puddings. It's funny how we have certain predilections. I like plums to be crunchhy and not too soft. If they're soft, I go 'ugh' and can't eat them (though they're OK to stew). I don't eat peaches or nectarines crunchy so why plums? Who knows?! My husband emphatically does NOT like a crunchy plum so he has to 'set some aside' if he wants to have any at normal ripeness.
Oh that's such a stunning colour Dom. Summer pudding is yet another thing I've never made, but I have managed to consume a fair few portions of various relatives' creations over the years – yum. Think I have to agree with Mark though on the clotted cream.