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.
Summer Pudding | Taste Board
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.
