This pudding is not just for Valentines Day it can be made any time of the year. The jam used here, because it's Valentines Day, is a Morello cherry preserve packed full of juicy red fruit, but you can use any jam or marmalade. This particular pudding is then topped with Maraschino Cherries and drizzled with Marasca syrup which gives a real rich flavour, but both of these can be left out. It tastes just as delicious.

Decorate as you wish - here I've used a few fresh cherries. Serve with cream or custard. The custard below makes more than you need for the pudding recipe. The leftover is fabulous gently heated and poured over each portion to serve.

Ingredients

300ml semi skimmed milk

300ml double cream

1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 eggs

85g caster sugar

750g Makers & Merchants panettone

Butter for spreading on panettone

Jar of Morello cherry preserve (or an alternative of your choice)

A few Maraschino cherries and some of it's Marasca syrup (I use a jar of Luxardo Maraschino cherries)

Method

Preheat the oven 170C / 325F / Gas 3

Place the eggs and the sugar into an electric mixer and leave running until the mixture is pale & fluffy.

Whilst the eggs and sugar are mixing bring the milk and cream to almost boiling in a saucepan. Add the vanilla pod or vanilla bean.

Once the eggs and sugar are pale and fluffy add the hot milk mixture discarding the vanilla pod shell and stir.

This now gets messy but it's worth it! Cut the panettone into slices approx. 2cm thick and butter both sides. Spread jam or marmalade onto both sides and dip each slice one at a time into the custard mixture and soak for a couple of seconds. Too long and it might fall apart.

Place each piece quickly into your tin - round, square, rectangular or heart shaped, overlapping each piece as you go. If you can fit anymore custard in pour over a little more and leave it to soak for 5 minutes before popping in the oven for 40 minutes.

The remaining custard can be heated and poured over each portion to serve.