Celebrity chef Polly Guy shares a fantastic comforting pudding using up basic staple ingredients combining all the delicious flavours that reminds her of her dear grandmother

Ingredients
Base
2-3 unwaxed lemons zested only
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
600 ml full fat milk
60g Caster sugar
5 egg yolks only / separate the whites into another clean bowl
100 g white bread crumbs

Middle
Raspberry jam / blackberry jam

Meringue top
200 g caster sugar / 1 tsp of cornflour optional
5 egg whites

Method
Turn your oven on to 150 fan/170C, making sure your hands are clean and dry with no grease.

Crack your five eggs separating the yolks and whites. Whisk the egg yolks till frothy using a handheld ballon whisk.

Next pour the milk, lemon zest, vanilla bean paste and sugar into a medium size pan over a low heat till simmering stirring occasionally.

This allows the lemon zest and vanilla to infuse into the milk.

Take off the heat and blitz your white bread into fine crumbs.

I don’t use the crusts but don’t throw them out keep them back for another recipe! 

Polly Guy (Image: Archant)

Now pour the hot liquid onto the egg yolks whisk all the time this is your custard.

Butter an oven proof baking dish then place the bread crumbs in then carefully pour the hot liquid over. Give it all a good stir to combine.

This needs to be left for 20 minutes to fully absorb.

Get a large high sided baking tray place your baking dish in the centre, and using a measuring jug fill with water till it comes half way up the pie dish sides this is are Bain Marie.

Place into the middle shelf of your oven this should take around 20-30 mins to bake.

Gently using a finger tip press on top of the pudding to see if it has a nice set to it.

Next using oven gloves take the pudding out of the oven to cool down 30ish mins should do it.

If you wanted to make this a day ahead you can now put the pudding once cooled into the fridge and finish off the next day very happily.

(Image: Polly Guy)

Open the jam and give it a little stir around to loosen it up and spoon on over the set custard base, I found I only used just over half the jar.

Make sure you get a nice even layer all over the base with the jam.

We can now turn are attention to the crowning glory the meringue topping.

In a clean large bowl with no trace of grease - tip: rub a half cut lemon around the sides and base of your bowl to help insure your egg whites whip up nicely.

On medium speed whisk the egg whites up till resembles clouds but don’t over whisk.

Then slowly add your sugar spoonful a go till you have a glorious glossy meringue mixture that holds its shape.

I always like to tip the bowl over my head to check.

It’s also good fun little party trick with your kids.

Using your fingers you can check the sugar has fully been incorporated by rubbing your fingers together and if you can feel grainy like consistency in the meringue then just keep whisking it.

You can put your pudding back in the tray but make sure no water is now in it.

Just makes life easier to pull it out of the oven.

Using a pallet knife I start at the edges building a barrier with the meringue then work your way into the centre of the dish making sure the meringue covers the sides then you can pipe the meringue on to get a nice effect or just spoon it on and swirl it all around to make a wavy effect on top, back into the oven much lower 130 fan/150C to bake the top I like my meringue to be as pale as possible.

But you can put it in at 150 fan/170C if you want a darker colour.

On the lower setting it takes about 40 mins.

Take it out of the oven and the hardness part is resisting not tucking into it straight away.

Leave it to cool and firm up a little first 30 mins should do then dig in and enjoy.

This really is a fantastic comforting pudding using up basic staple ingredients combining all the delicious flavours that remind me of my dear grandmother.