Recipes

Apple Charlotte

• 500g Bramley apples
• 225g Cox or Braeburn apples
• 50g Billington's Golden Caster sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
• 1 egg yolk
• 9 slices Allinson Brown Batch with the Taste of Sourdough
• 100g soft butter
• Fresh cream to serve

1. 1 Peel, core and slice the apples. Place in a pan with 2 tbsp water and the caster sugar and lemon zest if using. Cover and cook the apples over a medium heat for about 10 mins, stirring occasionally until they are stewed, soft and fluffy. Leave to cool.
2. 2 Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400oF(180°c Fan) Gas Mark 6. You will need 4 x 300ml ovenproof pudding moulds. Remove the crusts from the bread, draw around and cut out four circles to fit the base and top of the pudding moulds. Cut the remaining bread into 5cm wide fingers.
3. 3 Lightly butter the bread on both sides and use it to line the base and sides of the moulds, overlapping the slices and making sure there are no gaps. Press the bread firmly into the sides of the tins.
4. 4 Beat the egg yolk into the apples then spoon into the bread lines cases, top with the remaining circles of bread, press down firmly. Place the puddings in a baking tray and bake for 35-40 mins or until they are golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 mins.
5. 5 Invert the moulds onto four plates and serve hot with the cream poured over.

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Spiced fruit bread pudding

• 250g Allinson wholemeal bread
• 350ml milk
• 275g mixed dried fruit
• zest and juice 1 orange
• zest and juice 1 lemon
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 50g butter, melted
• 100g Billington's Dark Muscovado Sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp Billington's Demerara sugar

1. 1 Crumble the bread into large bowl, add the milk and mix well, leave to soak for at least 15mins. Place the fruit, zest and juices, cinnamon and nutmeg in another bowl, and leave to soak. Butter an ovenproof dish measuring about 24 x 18 x 6cm.
2. 2 Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F(160°c Fan) Gas Mark 4. Use a balloon whisk to beat the bread mixture making sure there are no lumps. Add the butter, brown sugar and eggs and beat again. Stir in the soaked fruit. Tip the mixture into the prepared dish, sprinkle the demerara over the top.
3. 3 Bake for 1hour 10-20 mins until the top is golden and the pudding feels firm to the touch in the centre. Leave to cool until just warm. Cut into 12 squares and serve warm or cold.

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Mushroom lattice pie with gravy

Pastry:

• 250g Allinson wholemeal plain flour
• 125g butter, cubed
• a pinch of salt
• beaten egg to glaze

Filling:

• 500g mushrooms, wiped
• 25g butter, melted
• 1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Gravy:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 shallots or 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 450ml water
• 1 tbsp cornflour

1. 1 Make the pastry: place the flour, cubed butter and salt into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Use a round bladed knife to stir in 3-4 tbsp cold water, mixing until the pastry comes together.
2. 2 Lightly knead the pastry on a floured surface. Roll out two thirds of the pastry and use to line the base and sides of a 24cm pie tin. Line with crumpled baking parchment and half fill with baking beans. Place on a baking sheet and bake blind for 10 mins at 200°C or gas mark 6.
3. 3 Prepare the filling: Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and set aside. Slice the mushrooms cups and place in a large bowl, add the melted butter, (garlic if using) parsley and plenty of pepper and mix well.
4. 4 Remove the paper and beans, heap the mushrooms into the pastry case. Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into 1 cm wide strips. Lay the strips on top of the mushrooms in diamond lattice, attach the ends to the pastry shell with water. Brush the pastry all over with beaten egg.
5. 5 Return the pie to the oven and bake for 20 mins. Remove the pie from the oven and carefully pour off the mushroom juices and reserve. Return the pie to the oven for a further 10-15mins or until golden brown.
6. 6 Whilst the pie cooks, make the gravy, heat the oil in a medium pan, add the onion or shallots and saute until soft. Add the reserved mushroom stalks, bay leaf, water, reserved mushroom juices and seasoning. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins. Mix the cornflour to a paste with cold water, then add to pan, stirring until the gravy thickens. Strain into a jug.
7. 7 Serve the pie hot with the gravy and some braised red cabbage.

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A taste of history

We’ve teamed up with renowned food historian, Caroline Yeldham, to recreate Mr. Allinson’s Winifred Pudding recipe for the National Trust. Available at a number of Trust properties throughout winter, we’ve included the recipe so you can also try it at home.

Winifred Pudding

• 1 slice Allinson wholemeal batch bread, crusts removed
• 5 tbsp / 100ml whole milk
• 85g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 85g (3oz) caster sugar
• 2 medium size eggs
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 tsp / 5ml lemon flavouring or lemon oil
• 250g (9oz) puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• 1 tbsp caster sugar (to decorate)

1. 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/Gas mark 4.
2. 2 Lightly butter and flour a 9in (20cm) shallow plate pie dish. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and line the pie dish. Chill until ready to use.
3. 3 Whizz the bread in a food processor to fine crumbs and tip into a bowl. Gently warm the milk and pour over the breadcrumbs and allow to stand for 5 minutes until cooled slightly and the breadcrumbs have absorbed the milk.
4. 4 Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until they are pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until they are well incorporated.
5. 5 Beat the breadcrumbs mixture with a fork until it is smooth and then stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon oil and pour into the prepared pastry case.
6. 6 Bake for 30 minutes until it has risen and is golden. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the caster sugar and bake it for a further 5 minutes - this will give the pudding a crunchy top. Serve warm with pouring cream, custard or crème fraiche.
7. 7 To serve cold: Mix together 2 tbsp / 20g icing sugar and a little water or freshly squeezed lemon juice to make a smooth icing. Drizzle over the pudding and serve.

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