Nostalgic bread pudding from left overs.

I didn't get a chance to go up the allotment yesterday as planned - an appointment for a 24 hour blood pressure test was moved to a later time - and I  can't  be out in the sun in the afternoon - so I pottered about at home.

I made bread pudding - it's been a couple of years since I've done so - but we had some left over bread from the weekend so I quite fancied reviving a long ago recipe.   It's funny how certain 'smells' /actions etc bring back long forgotten memories of bygone days.

 I only made a 'small' pudding with about 8 ounces of stale bread - white and wholemeal.

I added some water and left it to soak for a while before squishing it through my fingers to get this.

As a young 18 year old, my then then mother in law showed me how to make this, remarking at the time that it's really good for cleaning your hands and fingernails!  It was a very very long time ago, and folks were poor - so never wasted a thing - and I have to say that none of us ever suffered from stomach upsets!  So after squishing through your fingers, you leave it to rest for at least an hour or overnight!

 In the 'old day's you added any dried fruit you could spare - usually just currants - but I added what I could spare - currantes, dates, raisins, and later a hand full of mixed fruit meusli as it was still a bit too sloppy.

 You need to add an egg and some milk - about half a pint - it's all guess work, and some sugar too, and a dollop of fat.  Mother in law used to  use dripping or margerine or whatever she had - I used a blob of butter - just a couple of ounces

 Mix it up with a spoon and leave aside for the fruit to absorb the juices and swell.  (I've used fruit juice instead of milk before now - and it was delicious.

Add a couple of tablespoons full of sugar and some mixed spice - hmmm smells like Christmas

Pour into a lined baking tin and cook on a low heat until browned and moist inside.

I usually sprinkle on brown sugar before cooking - but as we have to watch our calorie intake these days I left it off - but it looks so much better with the sugar on top!

It stays moist inside for a week  - if you can manage to make it last that long.  It's great with custard or icecream  or just a chunk eaten with your fingers

If you need a precise recipe, I'll look it up - but it's really a way of using up leftovers etc.