Delicious Dish

with Helen Kingscott

A warming autumn dessert, perfect for cosy nights on the sofa. The pudding tastes even better with freshly foraged blackberries – if you don’t have any in your freezer, plan ahead for next year and pick them when they ripen in late August to early September.

125g/5oz butter 125g/5oz caster sugar 125g/5oz self-raising flour 2 eggs 75ml milk 300g/12oz blackberries 75g/3oz granulated sugar 150ml red wine

1 Grease a 1.2 litre ovenproof pudding bowl and line the bottom with a round of greaseproof paper. 2 Put 2-3cm of water in a saucepan large enough to hold the bowl with a lid on. 3 Beat the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour and milk and mix carefully until smooth. 4 Put approximately a third of the blackberries into the bowl.

Spoon the mixture over them and level off with a spoon. 5 Cover with foil with a pleat in the middle and seal around the edge. 6 Bring the water to the boil, then lower the pudding in carefully and pop on the lid. 7 Reduce to a simmer, steaming for 1.5 to 2 hours and checking regularly that there is enough water in the bottom of the pan. 8 Whilst that is cooking, put the granulated sugar and wine into a small pan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat, boiling until the liquid reduces by half. Add the remaining blackberries and simmer until cooked.

Press the fruit through a sieve to puree, which also removes the seeds. 9 Run a knife around the pudding and turn out onto your serving dish. Serve with the extra puree poured over the top and some lovely hot custard.