“If I had to choose my very last meal it would be mashed potato and braised oxtail…bread and butter pudding would follow, because I’ll never tire of that.”

^{-Gary Rhodes, quoted in The Week}

This pudding is best made a couple of days before you plan to serve it.

It’s also best to make it for large numbers otherwise you will be left with lots of half empty packets….but it also keeps well, so you could serve half, and then reheat (or even eat cold) for a second sitting dinner party a couple of days later.

Recipe for chocolate bread and butter pudding

Serve 16

Ingredients

• 20 slices (about 400g/14 oz) medium sliced farmhouse white bread – about a day old
• 300g/11 oz dark chocolate
• 840ml/3½ cups whipping cream
• 8 tbsps rum
• 220g/1 cup and 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 150g/5 oz butter
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• 6 eggs
• 300ml/1¼ cups double cream

Method

1. Cut off the crusts of the bread and cut each slice diagonally into four triangles.
2. Put the chocolate (broken up into squares), whipping cream, rum, sugar, butter and cinnamon into a bain marie (or a bowl over, but not touching, a saucepan of simmering water. Take off the heat when the sugar has dissolved and the butter and chocolate have both melted. Stir to mix well. Leave to cool.
3. Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs until good and frothy. Pour the chocolate mixture (once cool – or you will make scrambled eggs) into the eggs and whisk again to mix in well.
4. Cover a medium-sized ovenproof dish with a layer of the chocolate mixture – about 1 cm/½” thick. Cover that with half the bread slices, overlapping then slightly like tiles on a roof.
5. Pour about half the remaining chocolate mixture as evenly as you can over them.
6. Make the next layer using the remainder of the bread slices.
7. Cover with the rest of the chocolate mixture.
8. Press down gently with a fork to squidge the liquid below through the pudding evenly.
9. Cover with cling film and put in the fridge for a couple of days (you can get away with 24 hours if you have to).
10. 45 minutes before you want to eat the pud, heat the oven to 180°C, take off the clingfilm and put the pudding in.
11. About twenty minutes later check what it looks like – if the top layer of bread has started to go a bit crunchy it’s done – don’t let it overcook – it should be very gooey below. It may need another ten minutes or so though.
12. Once you think it’s done take out and leave to stand in a warm place (on the hot plate if you have an aga) for about ten minutes.
13. Serve with the double cream.

This post is dedicated to Hanna Adams who rather liked this pudding.