Queen of

One of the marvels of cooking is when you combine humble ingredients— in this case soft breadcrumbs, eggs, milk and jam—and create something totally scrumptious. Baked breadcrumb spread with jam and topped with is in my ‘hard-to-beat’ list of puddings. For added glamour I often pipe the snowy peaks of meringue to resemble a crown. Nan enjoyed the history of recipes telling us that this was one of Queen Victoria’s favourite puddings. I am forever grateful she shared it with Nan.

start to finish : 1 hour serves : 6

11/2 tablespoons 11/2 cups (375 ml/13 fl oz) full-cream milk 1 tablespoon caster (superfine) 11/2 cups (90 g/31/4 oz) fresh white breadcrumbs grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon 2 large free-range eggs, separated 2 tablespoons raspberry jam, warmed extra 1/3 cup (75 g/22/3 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) (fan-forced 160°C/315°F). Use a little of the butter to grease a round ovenproof dish about 22 cm (81/2 in) x 61/2 cm (21/2 in) deep.

Put the remaining butter, the milk and the 1 tablespoon of sugar in a pan over low heat and bring almost to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and pour over the hot milk mixture. Leave to soak for 15 minutes, then stir in the lemon zest and juice. Whisk the egg yolks and stir in. Pour the custard mixture into the greased dish and bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes or until firmly set. Remove and let cool. Leave the oven on. Spread the jam evenly over the . To make the meringue put the egg whites in a squeaky clean bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Continue whisking while gradually adding the extra sugar until the meringue is smooth and glossy. Roughly spread the meringue over the jam making sure the entire surface is covered. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the meringue is golden. Serve hot with cream.

and a bit more : For very rich custard use half milk and half pure cream. A split vanilla bean can be added to scent the hot milk mixture. Dried breadcrumbs are not an option here. Fresh crumbs are easily made by blitzing crustless soft white bread in a food processor.