The Brits have bought a few good things to the shores of Australia but the best things would have to be public holidays and puddings. Let’s be honest, everyone loves a public holiday. Australians love a public holiday so much that they would rather be part of the Commonwealth than be a Republic for fear of losing one. And what better excuse is there to have a day off than the Queen’s birthday!

This year is a particular special one for Queen Elizabeth II as it’s her bling, bling money ain’t a thing Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Royal shenanigans have sprung up throughout London, old mates Elton John and Paul Macartney got together to sing a few tunes, Heston Blumenthal cooked up a light lunch, a spattering of fireworks here, the lighting of a few thousand beacons there, even I have got caught up in Jubilee fever and whipped up a classic puddin’ that’s fit for her Majesty. Well at least it used to be fit for a Queen back in the 17th century when the original recipe was developed for Queen Victoria who evidently loved her pudding and who also celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 1897, the only other Monarch to mark such an occasion! Now there’s a bit of trivia for your next dinner party.

The Queen of Puddings is a traditional British pudding that I love because it sounds so fancy but in fact it’s made from stale bread. Gotta love a dish that uses up those left overs. It is made up of three layers, a baked bready-custardy base, raspberry jam and meringue. Of course you can be more creative and replace the  jam with stewed rhubarb and ginger or even add a dash of lemon curd but in my recipe I am being a traditionalist for traditions sake. As an ode to our Queen and for all her mignons who want nothing more than more public holidays I present the Queen of Puddings.

Enjoy x

Find Dani's Queen of Puddings recipe on her website.