A nostalgic classic, beautifully elevated with a refreshing addition of elderflower
Diana Henry is the Telegraph’s much-loved cookery writer. She shares recipes each week, for everything from speedy family dinners to special menus that friends will remember for months. She is also a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, and her journalism and recipe books, including Simple and How to Eat a Peach, are multi-award-winning. A mother of two sons, Diana can satisfy even the fussiest of eaters.
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Published
Raspberries and redcurrants aren’t in season until later in the summer, but I can never wait for them to make my first summer pudding. Elderflower cordial does vary in strength – I use Bottlegreen, which is quite intense.
Requires a day’s chilling time
Overview
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
15 mins
Serves
6
Ingredients
- 1kg mixture of hulled strawberries, blueberries and stoned cherries (prepared weight)
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 6 tbsp elderflower cordial
- 275g sliced white bread, crusts removed (prepared weight)
Method
Step
Put 1kg mixture of strawberries (hulled and halved), blueberries and stoned cherries into a pan.
Step
Add 2 tbsp caster sugar and 3 tbsp of the elderflower cordial.
Step
Set over a medium heat and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring every so often. The juices from the fruit will start to flow and the fruit will become soft.
Step
Set a sieve over a saucepan and tip the fruit and juice into it.
Step
Transfer the fruit to a bowl to cool and put the saucepan of juice over a medium heat.
Step
Bring to the boil then simmer the juice until reduced by about half. You should have a slightly syrupy mixture.
Step
Add 2 tbsp of the elderflower cordial to this and let it cool.
Step
Cut out a circle from one slice of the 275g crustless white bread to fit in the base of a 1-litre pudding bowl.
Step
Cut the rest of the bread slices into fingers about the width of a fish finger.
Step
Briefly dip the circle of bread into the juice, lifting it out before it’s too soggy, and lay in the base of the pudding bowl.
Step
Do the same with the bread fingers to line the sides. Where there are gaps, cut the bread to fit the space. Reserve any leftover juice.
Step
Add the remaining 1 tbsp elderflower cordial to the fruit.
Step
Spoon the fruit into the pudding bowl and use dipped bread fingers to cover the fruit.
Step
Put a saucer that will fit just inside the pudding basin on top and weigh it down with books or tins. Put in the fridge and leave for a day.
Step
Turn the pudding out by putting it on a plate and giving it a good shake.
Step
Serve it with any remaining syrupy juices.