Stilton and Spinach Bread Pudding

Created for Little Forest Folk Life by Two Teaspoons

Serves 6-8, generously

Ingredients:  

·       300g bread, cut into 3cm cubes

·       450g fresh spinach

·       30g butter and a little extra for buttering the baking dish

·       1 onion, finely chopped

·       2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed

·       120ml double cream

·       170g Stilton (or other blue-veined cheese), crumbled

·       720ml whole milk

·       3 free-range medium eggs

·       Generous pinch of grated nutmeg

·       Pinch of sea salt

·       Few grinds of black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan oven)

1. Scatter the bread cubes on a large baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes to dry them out, shaking the tray halfway through.

2. Put the spinach in a large saucepan on a high heat and cover with water. Once the water starts to let off steam turn down the heat and cover with a lid. Steam the spinach for about 5 minutes until it’s wilted and cooked through. Drain and cool, then squeeze out the water and chop the spinach.

3. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan on a gentle heat and add the onion and garlic followed by the salt and pepper. Stir and let cook until soft but not browned. This takes about 10 minutes. If the onions start to stick, turn down the heat and add a splash of water.

4. Add the spinach to the onion pan and cook for a few more minutes. Then add the double cream and Stilton and stir the mixture until the cheese has melted. Turn off the heat.

5. Whisk the milk in a bowl with the eggs and nutmeg.

6. Put the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl and gently fold in half the milk mixture, followed by the Stilton mixture. Transfer to a well-buttered baking dish and pour over the rest of the milk mixture. Let the pudding rest for 10 minutes before baking.

7. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the pudding is set and the top has browned nicely. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then serve hot from the baking dish.

This savoury Stilton and Spinach Bread Pudding goes very well as a side to our Homemade Tomato Soup or Slow Cooked Beans for a tasty and filling lunch.

·       Stilton can be replaced with Cheddar or another hard cheese for a milder flavour or even try a mixture of cheeses if you want to use up leftovers! Grate the cheese before cooking if it can’t be crumbled.

·       For the bread use whatever you have, stale bread is fine and in fact perfect for a bread pudding! A white bloomer, sliced loaf and sourdough all work well.

·       If you don’t have fresh spinach use 280g of frozen spinach. Thaw thoroughly, squeeze out the water and chop before using.