How to make Abel & Cole’s summer berry and basil pudding

Celebrate the fruits of summer while using up stale bread in this grown-up twist on a classic

(Abel & Cole)

Summer berry and basil pudding

Prep: 30 mins plus overnight chilling
Cook: 10 mins

Serves 6-8

8-10 slices of stale white bread, thinly sliced and crusts removed
900g mixed berries plus extra to garnish
3 tbsp caster sugar
Large bunch of basil plus extra to garnish

Line a medium pudding bowl (1l capacity) with cling film. Make sure the ends hang generously over the sides of the bowl. Line the bowl with the bread – patching it so there aren’t any gaps.

Blitz half the basil with the sugar in a food processor.

Remove any leaves and stalks from the fruit. Cut any large strawberries in half. Tumble them into a large pan with the basil sugar and 3 tablespoons of cold water. Gently stir, but take care not to break the fruit, for 10 mins over a low heat until simmering. Spoon the fruit into the bread-lined bowl, leaving as much of the fruit syrup in the bottom of the pan as possible. Pour half the syrup over the top of the fruit. Cover the top of the pudding with more bread, sealing it completely. Cover tightly with cling film and place a plate on top, pressing down firmly. Place a couple of tins on top to weigh it down. Chill overnight.

Add the remaining basil back to the reserved syrup and leave to infuse overnight.

When ready to serve, remove the tins, plate and covering cling film from the summer pudding.

Place a large serving plate on top and flip the pudding over. Remove the rest of the cling film.

Remove the basil from the reserved syrup and pour it over the pudding. Garnish with extra berries and basil leaves. Serve with thick double cream or greek-style yoghurt.

Recipe from Abel & Cole