Sheila's Pudding

Jamie Oliver -"This is a variation of the classic Eve's pudding which uses stewed apples. I love peaches for this pudding, though many fruits can be used, such as rhubarb with almonds or plums on their own. I called it Sheila's pudding for a laugh really... I'm a strange boy."

Do you believe that everyone deserves a second chance? I do.

And luckily I did. I had this Jamie Oliver's cookbook on my bookshelf for almost 8 years. It's full of dust. Any particular reason? I made a pasta dish from it 8 years ago but it turned out to be a disaster and I never touched it again.

Last month, I went through my cookbook collections and for some reason this book caught my attention. I felt that this book was calling out to me, "Pick me. I deserve a second chance."

I did and I picked this simple and yet delicious pudding. I shared it with a very good friend of mine whom I have known for 8 years, Miss T and her family. It turned out to be such a hit with both families and I know I will be making this again and again.

Sheila's Pudding
(Adapted from Jamie Olivier's The Return of the Naked Chef)
Serves 6

Ingredients

6 ripe peaches or nectarines, halved and stones removed (I used nectarines)
4 heaped tsp demerara sugar
1 vanilla pod, scored lengthwise and seeds removed
125 g / 4 1/2 oz butter
125 g / 4 1/2 oz caster sugar
2 large free-range eggs
125 g / 4 1/2 oz self-raising flour

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F. Put the peaches in a saucepan with the demerara sugar, the vanilla seeds and 4 tbsp of water. Simmer for 5 minutes and then place into a well-greased and lightly floured ovenproof dish or bowl. Beat together the butter caster sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Add the flour, mix thoroughly and spread over the peaches.
2. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with hot custard or something cold, like vanilla ice-cream or creme fraiche.