Summer Pudding Recipe

Summer Pudding is a traditional English dessert recipe that is loved by everyone who tastes it. The idea of stewed fruit in a casing of soggy bread may not sound all that appetizing, but give it a try - you'll be hooked!

In fact, the fruit is only warmed through, hardly cooked at all, so it retains its shape and texture and the bread is unrecognizable.

Summer Pudding Recipes don't, in fact, date back very far at all. It looks as if it should have been a traditional dessert for hundreds of years, but the earliest Summer Pudding recipe that even comes close is from 1902, but that called for the fruit to be stewed. It appears that Summer Pudding as we know and love it today didn't really emerge until the 1930's.

This Summer Pudding recipe is very easy to make and yet never fails to impress dinner party guests from all over the world.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Whatever size your bowl is, fill with a mixture of soft summer fruits.

Summer Pudding can be made with almost any combination of red soft fruits: here I have use cherries, blackberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants.

In addition, measure an extra half bowl of strawberries and raspberries.

Note: in this Summer Pudding recipe I've used frozen fruit. Fresh fruit is even better, but with frozen you can bring summer to your meals all year round.

Line the same sized bowl (here I am using a 2-pint bowl) with slightly stale white bread. Remove the crusts and overlap each slice so that there are no gaps.

In a large saucepan, heat the berries (not the strawberries and raspberries yet) with caster sugar and water.

Use 2 oz of sugar and 1 oz water for each pint your bowl holds.

People who are on low sugar diets can still enjoy this delightful Summer Pudding recipe - just  substitute Splenda or other artificial sweeteners according to the manufacturers directions

Gently heat the mixture for about 5 minutes, but don't allow it to boil.

The fruit will release its juices and the smell will be wonderful.

Add the strawberries and raspberries, reduce the heat to a minimum and stir for about 2 minutes.

Don't allow the strawberries and raspberries to become too mushy. If using frozen fruit, as I did here, the mixture is done as soon as the strawberries are all unthawed.

Immediately strain the mixture to remove the juice.

It isn't necessary to strain too vigorously - just allow the juices to drip through the strainer for a minute or two, but don't apply any pressure.

The juice is delicious, but restrain yourself - don't drink it because you are going to need it all!

Pour the fruit into the bread lined bowl and gently press it down with the back of a spoon.

Add half of the juice back to the mixture.

Your Summer Pudding is beginning to take shape.

When the bowl is completely full, place more de-crusted bread tightly on top to seal everything in.

Place the bowl into a serving bowl to catch any juice that oozes out, put a small plate on top and weigh down. Here I've used a large can of beans, which was quite heavy enough.

Refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Also refrigerate the juice that you have left over.

Trim any excess bread from the top, run a flexible palette knife around the inside of the bowl and turn out the pudding onto your serving dish.

As can be seen in the picture, there almost certainly will be patches of the bread that haven't been soaked with juice.

The fruit and juice mixture inside the Summer Pudding will slightly thicken and so the pudding should hold its shape well enough, but it is recommended that you don't remove from the bowl until you are almost ready to serve.

Using the reserved juice, cover all the white patches and then drizzle the juice over the entire pudding to glaze it.

Although I didn't add any more decoration to this Summer Pudding recipe, you can make it look very special by piling extra fresh cherries or raspberries on top and around the dish.

Cut nice thick wedges for each of your guests and serve with thick cream.

Here I have used the traditional accompaniment to Summer Pudding - a big dollop of Cornish Clotted Cream!

Ingredients as used in this Summer Pudding recipe - sufficient to fill a 2-pint pudding basin (mixing bowl):

Medium sliced white bread with the crusts removed.

700g (23oz) Mixed summer red fruits

300g (10 oz) Mixed strawberries and raspberries

120g (4oz) Caster sugar

60g (2oz) Water

Variations to make your Summer Pudding recipe even more special.

Adult Summer Pudding: add 2 or 3 tablespoons of Crème de Cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) to the fruit mixture after straining.

Cream Centered Summer Pudding: bury 100g (3oz) of clotted cream into the center of the Summer Pudding before sealing the top.

Spiced Summer Pudding: Add a pinch of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of mixed spice to the fruit mixture as it is simmering.