Summer Pudding

1. Wash the fruit and pat dry on kitchen paper, keeping the strawberries to one side. Put the sugar and 3 tbsp water into a large pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves, stirring a few times. Bring to the boil for 1 minute, then add the fruit (not the strawberries). Cook for 3 minutes over low heat, stirring 2 to 3 times, until the fruit softens but mostly holds its shape in a pool of dark red juice. Set a sieve over a bowl and tip in the fruit and juice.
2. Line a 1.25-litre basin with cling film to help turn out the pudding, overlapping two pieces in the middle and leaving about 15cm hanging over the edges. Cut the crusts off the bread. Cut 4 slices in half on a slight angle to give 2 lopsided rectangles each. Cut 2 slices into 4 triangles each and leave the last slice whole.
3. Dip the whole slice into the juice for a few seconds to coat it, then press into the bottom of the basin. Dip the wonky rectangles one at a time and fit them around the sides, alternating wide and narrow ends up. If the final piece won't quite fit, trim it into a triangle, dip and slot it in. Spoon in the softened fruit, dropping in the strawberries here and there as you go.
4. Dip the bread triangles in juice and lay them on top, trimming off the overhang with scissors and saving any leftover juice. Bring the cling film up and seal loosely, set a side plate on top and weight it down with cans. Chill for 6 hours or overnight. To serve, peel back the cling film, put a serving plate upside-down on top and flip it over. Serve with the reserved juice, extra berries and cream.

Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen

• A mix of soft summer berries gives the deepest flavour and the best colour.
• Dip each piece of bread in the juice so it takes on colour and holds its shape.
• Weight it down and chill overnight; that is what sets it and lets it turn out cleanly.
• Hold back a little juice to brush over any pale gaps once it is unmoulded.