A great pudding option for a summer time Christmas.  Cherries are at their best this time of year and add a wonderful richness to the pud. When not available, substitute the cherries with other berries as they come into season, like blackberries and loganberries.

serves 6-8

3 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

3 cardamom pods

6cm piece of orange peel, pith removed

1 cup (220g) castor sugar

750g cherries, pitted

300g raspberries

400g blueberries

200g strawberries or other berry of choice

1 tablespoon orange blossom water (optional)

12-15 slices of day old sliced bread, crusts removed

Rinse a 1 litre pudding bowl (or deep mixing bowl) with water and drain. Line the bowl with a thin plastic* bag or cling film, large enough to overhang around the edges. This helps for the easy removal of the pudding when inverting on the serving plate. Wrap the whole spices and orange peel in a small piece of muslin or clean chux cloth.

Place 500ml of water, the sugar, spices and orange peel in a medium saucepan over a high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to the boil. Add the cherries and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the remaining berries and turn off the heat. Gently stir to combine and set aside for 2 minutes. Using a sieve or colander, strain the liquid into a bowl and reserve the fruit.

Stir the orange blossom, if using, into the liquid. Quickly dip one slice of bread into the liquid to coat both sides then line the base of the pudding bowl. Then repeat dipping with each slice and line the sides of the bowl, so that each slice is slightly overlapping. Spoon the cherries and berries into the bread-lined bowl. Pour in enough liquid to cover the berries (the liquid should almost come to the top of the bowl). Dip the remaining bread in the left over liquid and cover to seal the top. Fold the cling film or plastic bag over the top to seal. Place a small plate on top of the pudding with a heavy weight on it (a couple of cans does the trick). Sit the pudding bowl on a tray to catch any liquid overflow. Refrigerate overnight. Transfer left over liquid to a sealed jar and refrigerate.

To remove the pudding from the bowl, remove weights and pull the plastic bag to over hang edges of the bowl. Place a serving plate over the top of the bowl, turning it upside down and give a gentle tap on the bench. Gently lift off the bowl then the bag. If there are some white patches, simply dip a brush into left over liquid and paint to cover.

Serve with ice-cream, or clotted cream.

* Wash and reuse the plastic. The plastic lining makes for easy removal of the pudding. It is not necessary to use any plastic to line the bowl, you’ll just have be careful when inverting the pudding and give the bowl a gentle shake to remove.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, December 2022