Last week the sign appeared. It looked innocuous until you read it. It announced the…
Queen of Puddings
Queen of Puddings is a traditional British dessert. It consists of custard layer spread with jam and a soft meringue topping.
The British have been making different puddings from bread and milk since the seventeenth Century. Bread and butter pudding is probably the most well know but there are many variants. As well as bread and milk some of these include jam and meringue. Queen of Puddings is one of these desserts. It can also be known as Manchester pudding.
The origins of the dessert are not know. It may date back to the turn of the twentieth century when Queen Victoria is said to have made favourable comments about the dish. This could have given rise to the name Queen of Puddings. We may never know but this is a delicious dessert fit for a queen.
Queen of Puddings
These days Queen of Puddings is a rather retro recipe and not made often. It is a shame as it is a lovely dessert and a great way of using up stale bread. For me it is also a way of using up the last of my frozen raspberries before the new summer crop arrives. I already have lots of green berries and suspect I may have more berries than last year. Queen of Puddings contains raspberry jam and I chose to make my own. Shop bought works just as well though.
Queen of Puddings is a recipe that brings back memories for me. It is one of the first recipes I made during Domestic Science classes at school. Today this is better known as food technology. When the dessert was complete it was put into a Tupperware box and I took it home for my parents to try. Needless to say the pudding got rather mixed up on the way home but was still delicious. The recipe is so easy to make, it could easily be made with your children.
Making Queen of Puddings
To make Queen of Puddings properly you need time. The custard mixture does need to soak for twenty minutes before cooking. You can cook it without soaking but you will not get the same creamy texture. When I think back to my Domestic Science lesson I am not sure how we made the pudding in an hour. We didn’t make our own jam which did save a little time. We just spread shop bought jam onto the custard base.
If you do have the time it is worth making your own jam. It really is not too difficult. The extra taste it gives the dish is worth the effort. It really does not take that much more time, you can easily make the jam while the custard is soaking and baking. This retro recipe for Queen of Puddings is definitely worth the effort. The whole family will enjoy it.
Queen of Puddings Recipe
Why not pin the recipe to make later?
Do you have a favourite pudding that you make with stale bread? Let me know below.
cheryl pasquier says
I’d heard of this but had no idea what it was – it looks very tasty 🙂
Dragons and Fairy Dust says
It really is lovely, well worth making