Things I've Made

This is not an actual recipe. Eyeball it. Use things up. Follow your heart.

You will need

• Stale bread
• Old milk
• Whatever sweet spread needs using up
• End-of-week eggs
• The last bits of butter or marge, if you prefer
• Raisins that have been sitting in the cupboard
• Sugar, if you have any spare

Before you begin

Preheat the oven to around 180°C fan, or whatever temperature your oven seems happiest with.

The quantities below are guidelines in the same way that weather forecasts are guidelines.

The objective is to use things up, not to create the perfect pudding.

1. Find a pan

Cut your bread into fairly chunky slices, or just use whatever pre-sliced bits of bread you need to get rid of.

Find a pan.

Any pan.

Line it if you think it needs lining. Eyeball the amount of paper required. Nobody is grading this.

2. Butter and spread

Butter the bread on one side.

On the other side, apply whatever sweet spread you are trying to use up.

This might be jam, marmalade, chocolate spread, lemon curd, or something else lurking at the back of the fridge. There are no rules here.

Arrange the slices in the pan, in whatever pattern fits.

3. Make the not-custard

Crack one or two eggs into a jug or bowl and add some milk.

Whisk until it looks reasonably mixed and slightly frothy. Watery is fine.

Add vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, or whatever other cupboard flavours seem appropriate.

Or don't.

It will be fine. If you're using something like jam or chocolate spread it'll probably be sweet enough anyway.

4. Add the raisins

Sprinkle raisins over the bread.

Use however many you find.

5. Get it wet

Pour the egg and milk mixture slowly over the bread.

Give it a moment to soak in. Could be 30 minutes, could be 2 hours, it all depends on how thirsty your bread is.

If it looks painfully dry, add more milk. You probably won't need more eggs.

If it looks completely drowned, don't panic. It'll probably soak in, and if it doesn't you just have sloppy bread and butter pudding. It's fine.

6. Do whatever seems right

If you want, dollop the remaining sweet spread over the top of the now drowned bread.

Sprinkle over some sugar if you fancy it.

Add anything else that looks like it belongs.

7. Bake

Put the whole thing in the oven for around 25–35 minutes, depending on how much you've made and how your oven behaves.

Keep an eye on it.

You are looking for something that looks baked rather than something that looks like soup.

8. Eat it

Serve hot or cold.

Cream or ice cream are apparently acceptable accompaniments, although personally I prefer it cold and plain.

A final note

The quantities are intentionally vague because this is supposed to be a use-it-up pudding.

If you have more bread, make more. If you have less milk, use less. If something looks like it needs adding, add it.

This isn't going to win you any prizes, but it can be a tasty way to use up bits and bobs.

The recipe will eventually live here.

The recipe will eventually live here.