Summer Pudding

There's no better pudding on a hot summer's day than a Summer Pudding. Unfortunately we don't seem to get much opportunity to eat it these days!

Ingredients
1kg summer fruits
      (such as 200g blackberries 
                      200g strawberries
                      300g raspberries
                      200g cherries
                      100g redcurrants or blackcurrants
                      100g blueberries )
140g caster sugar
8 slices of white bread - cut about 1cm thick

Method
Rinse all the fruit and place in a pan with the caster sugar and a little water (1 tbsp). Cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the juices from all the fruit has begun to release.  Then remove from the heat.

Line a lightly buttered pudding basin with the bread, cut into shapes to form a snug fit. Fill in any gaps with pieces of bread to make sure it will hold together and not let out any filling when turned out.

Sieve the fruit through a colander at first, keeping the juice. Place the fruit into the pudding basin. Next pour the juice through a finer sieve to strain out any pips. Add almost all the juice to the pudding basin keeping about half a cup to one side.

Top the pudding with another tightly fitted slice of bread.

Place a small plate that fits inside the basin and weigh it down with a couple of tins. Clingfilm the cup of juice and keep both in the fridge overnight.

To serve turn out onto a plate then pour the reserved juice over any white patches that may still be holding out.