I LOVE bread pudding, in fact I would have bread pudding over any of the fancy cakes or pastries. But sometimes the bread pudding you find in bakeries is really dry, however this is my ‘go to’ recipe and it is totally lushilicious. Eat it as it is but also good with custard or cream. I am pretty sure I have given myself a self induced bread pudding coma eating so much in one go…

• 450g/15 ¾ oz bread (can be white or brown)
• 500ml/1-pint milk (any kind)
• 100g/3 ½ oz butter, melted
• 150g/5 ¼ oz soft brown sugar (use demerara or white if not available) + 2 tablespoons for topping
• 4 level teaspoons mixed spice
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 350g/12 oz dried mixed fruit (currants, raisins, sultanas, candied peel)
• Two apples peeled and grated
• Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Line an oblong baking tray with baking parchment.  12 x 9 x 2 inches (approx. 31 x 23 x 5 cm) but the exact size is not crucial as long as the container is big enough for the mixture.

Either tear the bread into small pieces or blitz to make breadcrumbs depending on how smooth you want the finished pudding, if the crust is particularly tough you might want to discard them and just use the bread inside.   Pour over the milk, stir and leave for about 30 minutes so the bread is well soaked.

Add the melted butter, sugar, mixed spice and beaten eggs. Beat the mixture well until there are no lumps. Stir in the mixed fruit and grated apple.

Spoon into the baking tray and sprinkle with the two tablespoons of sugar and grated nutmeg.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 1¼-1½ hours.

Options

Replace the milk with orange juice.

You can also vary the dried fruit you add; dried apricot, dried pineapple and cherries also work well.

Rachel is an English witch who has been walking the Pagan pathway for over thirty years.
A working wife and mother who has had over 30 books published (so far), some of them becoming best sellers.

Her passion is to learn, she loves to study and has done so from books, online resources, schools and wonderful mentors over the years and still continues to learn each and every day but has learnt the most from actually getting outside and doing it.

She likes to laugh…and eat cake…

Rachel gives talks to pagan groups and co-runs workshops with the Kitchen Witch Coven.

High Priestess of the Kitchen Witch Coven and an Elder at the online Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchcraft.

A regular columnist with Fate & Fortune magazine, she also contributes articles to several magazines such as Pagan Dawn and Witchcraft & Wicca. You will find her regular ramblings on her own personal blog and YouTube channel. Rachel is host for the Pagan Portals Podcast, produced by Moon Books Publishing.

​Her craft is a combination of old religion witchcraft, Wicca, hedge witchery, kitchen witchery and folk magic.

Her heart is that of an English Kitchen Witch.

​Rachel was added to the Watkins ‘100 spiritually influential List’ for 2023.

For more details https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/authors/rachel-patterson