St George's Day Strawberry & Vanilla Bread-and-Butter Pudding
A British bread-and-butter pudding dressed for St George’s Day — vanilla custard, roast strawberries arranged as the red cross, served with pouring cream.
This is a celebratory English pudding for St George’s Day — humble bread-and-butter pudding dressed up with vanilla custard and glossy roasted strawberries arranged as the red cross. It’s comfort food with a patriotic flourish: easy to make, impressive to present.
Make it for a family lunch or a village fête gathering; the pudding keeps its homely charm while the strawberry cross gives it proper occasion feel. Serve warm with pouring double cream or a spoonful of clotted cream if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 375 g brioche loaf
- 50 g unsalted butter — softened for spreading
- 500 g strawberries — hulled
- 100 g caster sugar
- 300 ml whole milk
- 250 ml double cream — 150 ml for custard, 100 ml to serve
- 4 eggs
- 1 vanilla pod — split and seeds scraped
- fine sea salt — a pinch
- 15 ml lemon juice — about 1 tbsp
- 10 g icing sugar — for dusting
Equipment
- 20 x 30 cm ovenproof baking dish
- fine sieve
- hand whisk
Instructions
Hull and quarter the strawberries. In a bowl toss them with 20 g of the caster sugar and the lemon juice. Leave to macerate at room temperature for 20 minutes so they release their juices.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional.
Slice the brioche loaf into 12 even slices. Spread each slice lightly with the unsalted butter.
Make the custard: scrape the vanilla pod seeds into a saucepan with the whole milk and 150 ml of the double cream and heat gently until just below simmering (scalding), about 6 minutes stirring occasionally. In a bowl whisk the eggs with 80 g of the caster sugar and a pinch of fine sea salt. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the eggs in a thin stream, whisking constantly to temper. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a jug.
Assemble the pudding in a 20 x 30 cm ovenproof dish: lay a single layer of buttered brioche to cover the base, scatter over roughly two-thirds of the macerated strawberries (reserve the rest for decoration), then add another layer of brioche to cover. Press gently and pour the strained custard evenly over the layers so the bread is submerged. Leave for 5 minutes to allow the bread to absorb some custard.
Bake on the middle shelf at 180°C fan/200°C conventional for 40 minutes until set and golden on top. The centre should still have a slight wobble — it will continue to set as it cools.
While the pudding bakes, roast the reserved macerated strawberries: spread them on a small baking tray and roast at 200°C for 10–12 minutes until glossy and slightly jammy. Remove and leave to cool slightly.
Remove the pudding from the oven and leave to rest in the dish for 10 minutes. This resting time is important to finish setting.
Turn the pudding out onto a serving platter. Arrange the roasted strawberries on the surface to form St George’s red cross: a vertical line down the centre and a horizontal bar across the middle. Dust lightly with the icing sugar and serve warm with the remaining 100 ml double cream poured at the table.
Tips
- Use a day-old brioche for best soaking; fresh bread can collapse. If you only have fresh loaf, toast slices lightly first.
- Tempering the eggs is the crucial technical moment — pour the hot milk in very slowly while whisking to avoid scrambled custard.
- Reserve some macerated strawberries raw if you want a fresher look; roast the others for gloss and depth of flavour.
- Make ahead: assemble, cover and chill overnight; add 10–15 minutes to the baking time from cold.
- Leftovers: keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and rewarm gently in a low oven (150°C fan/170°C conventional).
Substitutions
brioche loaf → sliced white farmhouse loaf or challah, same weight
Stays closedouble cream → single cream for a lighter finish (use slightly less in custard: 100 ml), serve extra chilled
Noticeably differentstrawberries → raspberries or a mix of soft red berries (arrange as the cross in the same way)
Stays closecaster sugar → fine granulated sugar, same weight
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 660
- Calories
- 13 g
- Protein
- 56 g
- Carbs
- 43 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 38 g
- Sugar
- 200 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this pudding in individual ramekins?
Yes — divide the soaked brioche and custard between 6–8 ramekins and bake for 20–25 minutes at the same temperature until just set.
What if my custard curdles while mixing?
If the eggs scramble, remove from heat and whisk vigorously while adding a small splash of cold milk to cool and smooth. To avoid it, always temper the eggs slowly with hot milk.
Can I use ready-made custard?
You can, but the homemade egg custard gives a richer, silkier result that soaks into the brioche better. If using shop custard, warm it gently before pouring over the bread.
How do I make the cross neat?
Slice strawberries thinly for straight lines and start the horizontal bar before the vertical so you can centre it accurately. Keep a few whole berries for a neat centrepiece.
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