Gordon Ramsay’s summer pudding is brioche soaked in blackcurrant and berry juice until deep purple, layered with mixed berries, pressed overnight and turned out cold with crème fraîche. No cooking, no oven.
This comes from Great British Pub Food, where Ramsay calls summer pudding “the quintessential British summer dessert.” He also makes individual ones on The F Word, where he dips brioche in blackcurrant coulis and layers it with fresh strawberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries.
The detail that matters is the crème de cassis. Ramsay dissolves the sugar in cassis and water first, then simmers the berries in that syrup. The blackcurrant liqueur deepens the colour and adds a boozy sharpness that stops all that fruit from tasting flat.
Gordon Ramsay Summer Pudding
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy6
servings30
minutes10
minutes380
kcal40
minutesFrom Great British Pub Food: brioche lined with berry-soaked slices, filled with strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and redcurrants simmered in crème de cassis, pressed overnight and served cold with whipped cream.
Ingredients
400g (14 oz) strawberries, hulled and halved
600g (1 lb 5 oz) mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, redcurrants)
170g (6 oz) caster sugar
5 tbsp crème de cassis (or kirsch)
3 tbsp water
1 brioche loaf, unsliced
Lightly whipped cream, to serve
Directions
- Prepare the fruit: Strip redcurrants from stalks. Dissolve the sugar with cassis and water in a saucepan over low heat, then simmer for 5 to 8 minutes. Add blackberries and redcurrants, cook for a minute, then add the rest of the berries and simmer for 2 minutes until softened but still holding shape. Tip into a sieve over a bowl to catch the juice. Cool slightly.
- Line the basin: Cut crusts off the brioche and slice lengthways, about 5mm thick. Cut a round for the base, dip in the juice and place in a 1.2 litre pudding basin. Set aside a large slice for the lid. Line the sides with remaining slices, dipping each in juice first and overlapping slightly. Trim to fit.
- Fill: Pile the warm fruit into the lined basin. Cut a lid from the reserved brioche, dip in juice and lay over the berries. Spoon over 2 to 3 tablespoons of juice, saving the rest for serving.
- Press and chill: Cover with cling film, press a saucer on top and weigh down with a tin. Chill overnight.
- Turn out: Run a thin knife around the sides, turn out onto a serving dish and spoon over the reserved juice. Serve with lightly whipped cream.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay use brioche instead of white bread?
He uses both across his books. Sunday Lunch uses white bread and says day-old slices are “perfect for soaking up the juices.” Great British Pub Food uses brioche, which gives a richer, more buttery result.
If you use white bread, cut it slightly thicker (about 1cm) because it’s less sturdy than brioche and tears more easily when soaked.
Does summer pudding need to chill overnight?
Yes. The weight pressing down forces the juice through every layer of brioche, so when you turn it out the whole thing holds together.
Ramsay’s Sunday Lunch time plan says to make it the day before. A few hours works at a push, but overnight gives you that deep, even purple colour with no white patches showing through.
Can you make individual summer puddings?
Ramsay makes them individually on The F Word, using small moulds or ramekins instead of one large basin. Line them the same way, just use a smaller pastry cutter for the base.
They look more impressive on the plate and each person gets their own crisp outer layer. If you want to explore his other British puddings, the bread and butter pudding is the closest in simplicity though that one needs the oven.
What berries work best for summer pudding?
Ramsay says to get “a mix of red and dark berries.” The dark ones (blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries) give the juice its deep colour. The red ones (raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants) add sharpness and hold their shape better.
Skip any single-berry version because you need that mix of sweet and tart for the flavour to balance.
