What to serve as a dessert over the holiday season needn?t be a problem if you narrow it down to ample use of fresh fruit, cream, ice cream, custard ? and then combine it with a classic dish such as today?s good-old standby, bread and butter pudding.

The basic recipe for traditional bread-and-butter pudding is quick and easy to make, but the addition of chopped fresh fruit of your own choice makes for an interesting alternative.

Adding a little sweet wine such a sherry, multana, jerepigo or hanepoot to the fruit is a delightful optional extra.

Make the fruit separately and add ? cup of sweet wine and let it soak for about 30 minutes before serving it with the bread-and-butter dessert.

To make six servings you need:

Ingredients

For the bread-and-butter pudding

1 teaspoon of mixed spice or ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon of smooth apricot jam

50g muscovado sugar

550ml full cream milk

3 eggs

25g sultanas

25g currants

6 slices of white bread, halved

50 g softened butter

Method

In a lightly buttered ovenproof dish spread the bread half slices.

Spoon the apricot jam over the bread and sprinkle with the sultanas and currants.

In a separate bowl beat together the sugar, milk, eggs and cinnamon and pour over the bread.

Set aside to soak for about 30 minutes the bake for about 50 minutes (or until golden brown) in an oven pre-heated to 180 degrees Celsius.

For the fruit

Four cups of diced fresh fruit such as sweet melon or fresh (or frozen) berries.

? cup sweet wine.

Place the fruit in a shallow dish and pour over the sweet wine and leave to soak for 30 minutes, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Serve the boozy fruit and the bread-and-butter pudding separately with custard, cream or ice cream ? or a combination of the three.