Redcurrant Kir

Taking my inspiration from a posting on the rather excellent My Tiny Plot blog I decided to make use of the redcurrants we picked this morning at our local Pick Your Own farm. The redcurrant bushes were absolutely teeming with these beautiful red jewels and so picking was extremely easy. So the bottle is now off to the cupboard where it will spend the next few months before I start the next stage of its transformation. I hope it works. Be sure to check back for an update.

Nelson Slices

This is a Norfolk version of Bread Pudding, named after Admiral Lord Nelson who was a Norfolk man, born at Burnham Thorpe, on the north coast, where his father was Rector.

Ingredients:

• 1lb. stale bread
• 3oz. sultanas
• 3oz. raisins
• 4oz. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tbsp orange marmalade
• 3 oz. butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp rum

Soak the bread in water for 1 hour. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Squeeze the water out of the bread, then break up any lumps with a fork, until the bread is a creamy consistency. Stir in the dried fruit, then add the rest of the ingredients and beat together well. Pour the mixture into a buttered, deep pie dish or roasting tin about 7 x 11 inches, and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, although while still hot sprinkle with a little extra sugar. Serve sliced, hot as a pudding with custard or cream or cold as a cake.