A fruit pudding is the perfect summer dessert to enjoy with loved ones, and with the nation basking in the hot weather, this easy recipe for "the best" summer pudding is one to note down. The refreshing sweet treat full of juicy summer berries couldn't be easier to make. The BBC Good Food recipe, rated five stars, has been praised for both its simplicity and quality.
One person wrote: "Best summer pudding I have ever made. Worked very well by dipping bread in juice and lining bowl with cling film. Used frozen strawberries, blackberries and red currants left from last year". Whilst another, branded it as a "fantastic recipe, [that is] quick and easy to make."
Ingredients
- 300g strawberries
- 250g blackberries
- 100g redcurrants
- 500g raspberries
OR 1.25g/2lb mixed berries and currants of your choice
- 175g golden caster sugar
- 7 slices day-old white bread, from a square, medium-cut loaf
Method
Bring out the juices: Wash fruit and gently dry on kitchen paper - keep strawberries separate. Put sugar and 3 tbsp water into a large pan. Gently heat until sugar dissolves - stir a few times. Bring to a boil for 1 min, then tip in the fruit (not strawberries). Cook for 3 mins over a low heat, stirring 2-3 times. The fruit will be softened, mostly intact and surrounded by dark red juice. Put a sieve over a bowl and tip in the fruit and juice. Line the bowl with cling film and prepare the bread: Line the 1.25-litre basin with cling film, as this will help you to turn out the pudding. 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. Let the edges overhang by about 15cm. Cut the crusts off the bread. Cut 4 pieces of bread in half, a little on an angle, to give 2 lopsided rectangles per piece. Cut 2 slices into 4 triangles each and leave the final piece whole. Build the pud: Dip the whole piece of bread into the juice for a few seconds just to coat. Push this into the bottom of the basin. 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 the wide and narrow ends up. 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. Now, spoon in the softened fruit, adding the strawberries here and there as you go. Let flavours mingle, then serve: Dip the bread triangles in juice and place on top-trim off the overhang with scissors. Keep leftover juice for later. Bring cling film up and loosely seal. Put a side plate on top and weight down with cans. Chill for 6 hours or overnight. To serve, open out the cling film, then put a serving plate upside-down on top and flip over. Serve with leftover juice, any extra berries, and cream. 
