Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 210 deg. C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Butter the bread, hack the crusts off and cuts into strips (or

"soldiers").

3. Place some of the "soldiers" butter side down in a 1 litre (2 pint)

ovenproof glass bowl - enough to cover the bottom.

4. Sprinkle a handful of the dried fruit over the bread.

5. Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over the fruit.

6. Place more "soldiers" at right angles to the last lot (my methods are terrible!) , making sure you line the bowl.

7. Repeat stages 4 to 6 until you have run out of bread or filled the bowl

(the two things
*do* usually happen together, thank goodness)

8. Beat the two eggs in another bowl with the milk.

9. Pour the mixture over the bread, fruit and sugar and leave to stand for at least 30 minutes.

10. Put bowl in oven and cook until the bread has turned golden brown and the egg/milk mixture has set (about 30 to 40 mins). Can be eaten hot or cold (probably better cold). A delicious variant, although somewhat messy to prepare, is to thickly spread lemon curd on the bread at stage 2 before hacking the crusts, etc. If you
*do* give this version a go, youre better off leaving it to go cold, preferably for at least a day, because the lemon taste becomes stronger with the passage of time. Strange, but true.

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