But it can’t be right that the nation who gave the world spotted dick and treacle tart (not to mention apple pie, which is English whatever they think in America) should give up homemade puddings altogether and settle for a gloomy future of frozen lemon meringue pie, so if you think you haven’t got time for puddings, think again. Plenty of desserts take only a minimal amount of time and effort, and there’s nothing like the promise of something sweet for getting kids to dutifully eat more of the things you really want them to have first.

Having said that, desserts and puddings, or whatever you want to call them, aren’t necessarily an unhealthy option either, especially when they contain a lot of fruit, and as a truly satisfying comfort food they do a lot less damage to your diet than a family-sized bar of chocolate or a bag of doughnuts. Try and make puddings a part of your life; even once a week is better than never. Your family and friends will love you for it.

Tips

Pour evaporated milk (Carnation) over fresh and tinned fruit puddings as a cheap and easy alternative to cream or custard.

Buy golden syrup and maple syrup in plastic bottles for easy squeezing.

Cool jelly quickly by adding slightly less cold water to the melted jelly and popping 2 or 3 ice cubes in.

Make sour cream by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a small carton (5 floz/150 ml) of single cream.

Make chocolate custard simply by mixing 1 oz (25 g) of chocolate into warm custard, readymade or instant; or melt the chocolate in the microwave first and stir it in.

Pastry

A basic short crust pastry is all you’ll ever need for most pies and flans; add 1 level tablespoon of caster or icing sugar to make it slightly sweeter – and replace half the quantity of fat with lard, which gives the pastry more of a melt-in-the-mouth quality, if you want to. The quantities given below make enough pastry to line a shallow, loose-bottomed 8” (15cm) flan tin.

SHORT CRUST PASTRY:

6 oz (150 g) plain flour
3 oz (75 g) butter or margarine (or 1 1/2 oz [33 g] each of butter and lard)
1 heaped tbsp caster sugar (or icing sugar)
4 tbsp cold water (approx)

METHOD

1. Sift the flour into a very large mixing bowl and rub in the butter or margarine in small pieces until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Stir in the sugar, make a well in the centre, then add the water or milk, gradually incorporating the flour by pinching the mixture together with the fingers of one hand. Knead the pastry inside the bowl for a minute to make a firm, smooth dough.
3. Wrap the dough in foil or a double layer of clingfilm and chill in the fridge for half an hour before turning the dough onto a floured surface and rolling it out to fit the lightly greased flan tin, or pie dish.
4. Prick the pastry with a fork several times before adding the filling. If the pastry case is to be baked ‘blind’ – i.e. on its own so the filling can be added when the pastry is cold – cover with a circle of greaseproof paper then weigh the paper down with a handful of dried beans, lentils or rice.
5. Bake in the oven, Gas Mark 4 (180°C) for 10–15 minutes. (Remove dried beans and greaseproof paper and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to crisp the pastry.)

If you also have an irrational fear of recipes containing gelatine, these are the cheesecakes for you...