Mary Berry's queen of puddings

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3 and grease a 1.4 litre/2½ pint shallow ovenproof dish (one that will fit into a roasting tin) with butter.

Step 2

For the base, very gently warm the milk in a small saucepan. Add the butter, lemon zest and the 50g/2oz of sugar, stir until dissolved.

Step 3

Lightly whisk the egg yolks in a bowl. Slowly pour the warm milk into the eggs, while whisking.

Step 4

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the base of the buttered dish and pour over the custard. Leave to stand for about 15 minutes, so the breadcrumbs absorb the liquid.

Step 5

Carefully transfer the dish to a roasting tin and fill the tin halfway with hot water. Bake the custard in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes until the custard has set. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a little.

Step 6

Meanwhile, put the mixed summer fruits into a pan and warm over a gentle heat. Once they’ve softened and released their juice, add the sugar and cook for a further three minutes.

Step 7

Heat gently until you have a jam-like consistency. If you are using frozen berries they will release more liquid so you might need to cook for longer to thicken to the right jam consistency.

Step 8

Whisk the egg whites using an electric hand whisk on full speed until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Add the remaining 175g/6oz sugar a teaspoon at a time, still whisking on maximum speed until the mixture is stiff and shiny. Transfer the meringue mixture to a piping bag.

Step 9

Spread 4-5 tablespoons of the fruit jam over the set custard, then pipe the meringue on top.

Step 10

Lower the oven temperature to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2 and return the pudding to the oven (not in the roasting tin with water) for about 25-30 minutes until the meringue is pale golden all over and crisp. Serve at once with pouring cream.