Queen of Puddings — lemony bread custard, jam and meringue

i. Origin & history

Bread-and-custard puddings are among the oldest in the British repertoire. Stale bread soaked in sweetened milk and eggs, then baked, was standard household thrift for centuries, and by the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries cooks were refining it with lemon peel, spice and jam. Queen of puddings is the most elegant member of this family, distinguished by its meringue topping and by the use of fine crumbs rather than slices, which melt into the custard entirely.

Similar puddings appear under several earlier names, including Monmouth pudding, from the Welsh border, and Manchester pudding, which appears in Victorian cookbooks as a breadcrumb custard layered with jam and topped with meringue. 'Queen of puddings' became the dominant name during the nineteenth century and has stuck ever since.

How it got its name is a common question, and the honest answer is that nobody knows for certain. The most popular explanation is that it was named in honour of Queen Victoria, perhaps after being served to her or created in the royal kitchens; another simply holds that it was considered the 'queen' — the finest — of the many bread puddings. Both stories are plausible, and neither is well documented. What is clear is that the pudding was well established in British cooking by the late nineteenth century.

Through the twentieth century it became a school-dinner and Sunday-lunch staple and then fell out of fashion, before being revived as a nostalgic favourite by British chefs and food writers. Its appeal is that it turns humble ingredients — stale bread, milk, a few eggs and a pot of jam — into something that looks impressive at the table.

ii. Why breadcrumbs, and why two bakes

The base of queen of puddings is a custard that would be too loose on its own. Fresh white breadcrumbs soaked in the hot milk swell and dissolve, adding starch that helps the egg yolks set the custard into a soft, sliceable layer rather than a wobbly crème caramel. Fine crumbs are important: coarse crumbs or cubes give a lumpy, bread-pudding texture rather than the smooth, almost soufflé-like base that makes this pudding distinctive.

The custard needs a low, gentle bake. Like all egg custards, it curdles and weeps if overheated, so it is baked at around 160–170 °C, ideally in a tray of hot water, until just set with a slight wobble. Using only yolks in the custard and saving the whites for the meringue keeps it rich and avoids waste.

The jam goes on warm. Cold, stiff jam tears the delicate custard surface; warmed until spreadable, it floats on in an even layer. Raspberry is the classic choice because its sharpness cuts through the sweet custard and meringue.

The meringue is baked in a second, shorter bake. Because it sits on a hot custard, it cooks from below as well as above, giving a crisp golden crust over a soft, marshmallowy interior. Spreading the meringue right to the edges of the dish seals it and helps stop it shrinking and weeping.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 6 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 600 ml whole milk
• 25 g unsalted butter, plus extra for the dish
• 1 lemon, finely grated zest
• 75 g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 50 g caster sugar (custard)
• 3 large egg yolks
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp raspberry jam
• 3 large egg whites
• 150 g caster sugar (meringue)
• 1 pinch salt

Make fresh breadcrumbs from day-old white bread with the crusts removed, blitzed in a food processor; dried packet breadcrumbs will not dissolve properly. Whole milk gives the best custard; some cooks replace a little with single cream. Raspberry jam is traditional; good blackcurrant or apricot jam, or lemon curd, also work. Use caster sugar for the meringue, which dissolves quickly and gives a glossy, stable foam. Separate the eggs carefully: even a trace of yolk in the whites stops them whipping.

iv. Method

1. Heat the oven to 170 °C (150 °C fan, 340 °F). Butter a 1.2–1.5 litre shallow ovenproof dish and set it in a roasting tin.
2. Heat the milk, butter and lemon zest in a pan until steaming and the butter melts. Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs and 50 g sugar. Leave for 10 minutes, until the crumbs swell and soften.
3. Whisk the egg yolks and vanilla in a bowl, then stir in the milk and crumb mixture. Pour into the dish.
4. Pour hot water into the roasting tin to come halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the custard is set with a slight wobble in the centre. Remove the dish from the water and leave for 5 minutes.
5. Warm the jam in a small pan until runny. Spoon it gently over the custard and spread it in an even layer.
6. Whisk the egg whites with the salt to soft peaks. Add the 150 g sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking well between each, until the meringue is thick, glossy and holds stiff peaks.
7. Spoon or pipe the meringue over the jam, spreading it right to the edges of the dish so it touches all round. Swirl the top into peaks.
8. Return to the oven (without the water bath) for 15–20 minutes, until the meringue is crisp and pale golden on top. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Let the crumbs soak properly. Ten minutes in the hot milk lets them swell and dissolve; unsoaked crumbs give a gritty, uneven custard.
• Use a water bath. It keeps the custard from curdling and turning watery at the edges.
• Do not overbake the custard. It should still wobble slightly; it continues to set under the meringue.
• Warm the jam before spreading. Cold jam drags and tears the soft custard surface.
• Seal the meringue to the dish. Meringue that does not touch the edges shrinks back and weeps syrup into the jam.
• Add the sugar to the whites gradually. Adding it too fast stops the meringue gaining volume and leads to beading.

vi. Variations

Individual queen of puddings are baked in ramekins for 15–20 minutes, then topped. Some cooks spread a layer of fresh raspberries under the jam, or swap in blackcurrant, plum or apricot jam. Lemon curd instead of jam makes a pudding that resembles a lemon meringue pie without the pastry. Manchester pudding and Monmouth pudding are its historical cousins.

Other British puddings in the same thrifty spirit include summer pudding, made with bread and berries, and the steamed jam roly-poly. For meringue in other forms see baked Alaska and Venezuela's sans rival, and for a European cousin of bread and custard try Spain's torrija.

vii. Serving & storage

Serve queen of puddings warm, rather than piping hot, so the layers hold together when spooned. Pouring cream or a little single cream is the traditional accompaniment, though it needs nothing more. It is a classic Sunday lunch pudding, comforting in winter, and in summer can be made with fresh raspberries stirred into the jam.

It is best eaten the day it is made, as the meringue softens and weeps once refrigerated. Leftovers will keep, covered, in the fridge for a day and can be eaten cold. The custard base can be baked a few hours ahead and left at room temperature, with the jam and meringue added just before the second bake. It does not freeze.

ix. More from British & Irish

• Summer Pudding — berry-soaked bread dome
• Jam Roly-Poly — steamed jam roll
• Lemon Meringue Pie — lemon curd and meringue
• Treacle Tart — golden syrup tart
• Baked Alaska — meringue over ice cream
• Torrija — Spanish custard-soaked bread