Old-fashioned bramble pudding

Step 1

Butter a 1.2-litre ovenproof pudding bowl or soufflé dish and line the bottom with a small disc of baking parchment.

Step 2

You will need a saucepan large enough to contain the bowl or dish and cover it with a lid. Pour 2–3cm of water into the pan.

Step 3

Beat the butter and caster sugar in a food mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then fold in the flour with the milk until smooth.

Step 4

Put about a third of the blackberries into the buttered bowl. Spoon the mixture over them to about ¾ of the way up the bowl. Cover with foil, pleated in the middle to allow for expansion, and crunch the foil around the edge to seal.

Step 5

Bring the water in the pan to the boil, lower the pudding bowl into it and put on the lid. Reduce the heat so the water is just simmering. Steam for 1 hour 30 minutes–2 hours, adding more boiling water if necessary.

Step 6

For the blackberry purée

Put the granulated sugar and wine in a pan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Step 7

Increase the heat, bring to the boil and reduce the quantity of liquid by about half. Add the remaining berries and simmer until just cooked.

Step 8

Rub the cooked fruit mixture through a sieve to purée and remove the seeds.

Step 9

Run a knife around the pudding and turn it out onto a warmed serving plate. Serve with the blackberry purée and cream, custard or ice cream.