Ingredients

• 400g/14oz blackberries
• 110g/4oz caster sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 75g/3oz melted butter
• 10 slices white bread
• crusts removed
• 200ml/7fl oz vanilla ice cream
• to serve
• 200ml/7fl oz clotted cream
• to serve
• 200ml/7fl oz milk
• 200ml/7floz double cream
• 1 vanilla pod
• split and seeds scraped
• 4 free-range egg yolks
• 75g/3oz caster sugar

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
• For the charlotte
• heat a frying pan until hot. Add the blackberries
• sugar and dash of water and fry until the sugar has melted and the blackberries are tender. Set this blackberry compote aside.
• Cut the bread slices in half
• and then each half into four slices to get small fingers. Dip each piece of bread in to the melted butter and line the mould
• reserving some for the lid.
• Once the mould is lined
• spoon in the blackberry compote and cover with more bread that has been dipped in melted butter. Place onto a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes
• or until golden-brown on top.
• For the custard
• place the milk
• cream and vanilla pod into a saucepan and simmer gently for five minutes.
• Pour the hot milk onto the eggs and stir until well combined. Pour the custard into a hot saucepan and heat
• stirring constantly
• until the custard has thickened slightly. Strain to through a fine sieve.
• Remove the charlottes from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Carefully turn the charlottes out of the mould.
• Serve the charlottes in a pool of custard
• alongside a spoonful of clotted cream and a dollop of vanilla ice cream.