Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2oz strawberries
• roughly chopped
• icing sugar
• to taste
• 115g/4oz butter
• 10 slices white bread
• 200ml/7fl oz double cream
• 200ml/7fl oz milk
• 1 vanilla pod
• split in half
• seeds scraped out
• 6 free-range eggs
• yolks only
• 75g/3oz caster sugar
• clotted cream
• to serve

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Place a third of the strawberries into a food processor and blend to a purée with a touch of icing sugar.
• Check the strawberry purée is sweet enough then place in a bowl with the rest of the strawberries and mix well.
• Meanwhile
• melt the butter and cut the crusts off the bread.
• Cut the slices in half
• and then each half into four slices to get small fingers.
• Dip each piece of bread in the melted butter and line the moulds
• reserving enough bread for the lids.
• Once the moulds are lined
• spoon in the strawberries and top with more bread that has been dipped in melted butter.
• Place the charlottes on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden-brown on top.
• For the custard
• place the cream and milk into a saucepan along with the vanilla pod and seeds and bring to a gentle simmer for five minutes to infuse.
• Place the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and whisk together until pale and fluffy.
• Pour the hot milk onto the eggs and stir well
• then return to the pan and cook
• stirring continuously until just thickened.
• Strain the custard through a sieve into a clean pan.
• To serve
• remove the charlottes from the oven and set aside to cool slightly
• then carefully turn them out onto a four serving plates and serve immediately.
• Serve the charlottes
• topped with clotted cream and a spoonful of custard.