Recipe for Cuthbert’s Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding

THIS is a variation on basic bread and butter pudding.

If you like, leave out the marmalade and serve plain, or add chopped rhubarb, chopped chocolate, grated lemon or orange zest, raisins, sultanas, cinnamon, nutmeg etc. This is a great way to use up stale bread — in fact, it’s better if the bread is stale.

Serves 6-8

12 slices of good quality white bread — eg, Cuthberts from Midleton, crusts removed

50g (1¾oz) soft butter

3 tbsp marmalade

450ml (16 fl oz) cream

225ml (8 fl oz) milk

4 eggs

150g (5½oz) caster sugar

2 tbsp granulated sugar

To serve: Softly whipped cream Marmalade sauce

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Butter the bread and spread marmalade on each slice. Arrange the bread in the gratin dish or in individual cups or bowls (cut the slices if you need to). I like to have overlapping triangles of bread on the top layer.

Place the cream and milk in a saucepan and bring to just under the boil. While it’s heating up, in a separate bowl whisk the eggs and the sugars, then pour the hot milk and cream in with the eggs and whisk to combine. Pour this custard over the bread and leave it to soak for 10 minutes.

Place in a bain marie (water bath) and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour. The top should be golden and the centre should be just set.

Serve with softly whipped cream and marmalade sauce (see below).

Note: If you want to make this a day ahead, don’t heat up the milk and cream, just pour it cold over the bread.

Marmalade Sauce

1 jar (400-450g/14oz-1lb) three-fruit or homemade marmalade

60ml (2½ fl oz) water

Juice of ½-1 lemon

Put the marmalade into a saucepan. Add the water and the juice of ½-1 lemon to taste. Heat gently. Place in a jug and serve with the bread and butter pudding.