Summer pudding is famous for using up the glut of summer berries, if you’re lucky enough to have them in your garden. As we don’t grow blackcurrants, they can be hard – blink and you’ve missed them in the shops. So we devised this recipe, determined not to give up on making summer pudding. Our recipe has a Lebanese twist, you won’t be surprised to hear, using Zejd’s pomegranate molasses instead of blackcurrants. The tart, tangy flavour of the pomegranate molasses adds to the acidity of the summer fruit.  While not quite as dark as blackcurrants, it produces a quiet punch. Using up bread that’s a day or two old, this dish is a friend indeed.  The texture of proper bread will pay dividends, a necessary platform for soaking up the essential juices. We like sharp fruit, and have suggested a small amount of sugar.  Please feel free to add extra to suit you tastebuds and your fruit.

We’ve used a recipe from Nigel Slater’s Appetite as a starting point, it’s straightforward and takes hardly any time to put the dish together.  He suggests a tumbler full of water added to the pan of berries. This year, fruit seems to be rather lacking in water, so you may need more water and more fruit.  It’s key to have enough to soak the bread in. Leaving it to chill in the fridge for as long as you can helps to set the pudding. Bring it back up to room temperature before serving. 

Which do you prefer it with –  double cream or ice cream?

serves 6 – 8