Blackberry queen of puddings

Got a glut of blackberries? Whether homegrown, foraged or shop-bought, you must try this blackberry twist on a classic British dessert, crowned with meringue

Ingredients

• 575 ml milk
• 25 g butter , plus extra for the dish
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 100 g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 1 lime , zested, ½ juiced
• 140 g caster sugar
• 4 eggs , separated
• 300 g blackberries
• 6 tbsp blackberry jam

Steps

1. Warm the milk in a small pan over a low heat until steaming – don’t boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, breadcrumbs, lime zest and 40g of the sugar. Leave to soak for 30 mins until the breadcrumbs have absorbed the liquid and the mixture has cooled. Once cool, stir in the egg yolks.
2. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and butter a medium-large baking dish (ours was 22cm). Tip the soaked breadcrumbs into the dish and bake for 30 mins until set.
3. Meanwhile, put the blackberries in a pan with the jam and lime juice, and simmer over a low heat until the berries have broken down slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Spoon the blackberry mixture over the set custard, and spread to the edge as best as you can. Turn the oven down to 160C/140C fan/gas 2.
5. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric whisk, then whisk in the remaining 100g sugar, a spoonful at a time, until all the sugar has dissolved and the meringue is glossy. Spoon or pipe the meringue over the blackberry mixture and bake for 20-30 mins more until golden. Serve warm.