Chocolate Orange Bread and Butter Pudding

Since signing up for The Guardians Live Better Campaign I have been watching what gets thrown and what can be used.

 

I hate throwing food out at the best of time but now I am even worse!

 

When I found some homemade fruit loaf which was getting past its best and a brioche roll that was going stale I knew exactly how I would use it up.

 

No longer fresh but too good to throw away!

 

I made Bread and butter pudding!
 

However I wanted to make one that was a little bit different from the traditional pudding.
 

This is what I did...

 

Chocolate Orange Bread and Butter Pudding

 

Ingredients

 

Bread (as much or as little as you have got, I had about 10 slices of fruit loaf and brioche)

Butter

Orange marmalade

400mls milk

2 eggs at room temperature

25g caster sugar

100g chocolate

 

Method

 

1 - Spread butter on one side of the slices of bread

 

2 - Spread marmalade over the buttered slices of bread

 

3 - Layer the slices, butter and marmalade side up in an oven proof dish and leave on one side and prepare the chocolate custard

 

4 - Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water

 

4 - Place the milk in a pan and heat to just below boiling point

 

5 - Whisk the eggs with the caster sugar

 

6 - Remove the milk from the heat and stir in the eggs and sugar mix

 

7 - Stir in the melted chocolate

 

8 - Gently pour the chocolate custard over the bread allowing the bread to soak up the custard

 

9 - Leave for half an hour to soak up more custard and add extra as needed (depending on the amount of bread you have used you may not need all of the custard made)

 

10 - While the pudding is standing pre heat the oven 180C

 

11 - Spoon on some extra marmalade onto the top of the pudding and place in the pre heated oven and bake for 20 minutes

 

This pudding is delicious served hot with ice cream, fresh cream or custard. It is also just as good the following day cold and a great way to use up and enjoy what otherwise would have been thrown in the bin.

 



Chocolate Orange Bread and Butter Pudding

 



Live Better Challenge and Weekly Meal Plan - Week Commencing 17th March 2014

If there is one thing I hate, it is throwing food away! I see it as I am throwing money in the bin which we would never do.

 

I am concerned about the amount of food that we waste and am always trying to cut it down. I do this in a number of ways.

 

Firstly, I meal plan!

The weekly meal plan that I do has definitely reduced the amount of food that we throw in the bin. This is due to buying only what I am going to need for the weeks meals but also looking in my fridge and deciding what needs using and adapting my meal plans around it.

 

Secondly, I use leftovers the following day!

Leftovers make some delicious meals, in fact I often find they make some of the best meals!

 

Thirdly, I freeze!

If there are any leftovers which I am not going to use the next day I bag them up, label the bag and freeze for another day.

 

When the hubby saw that The Guardian were running a new campaign he had a look and when he saw that this months challenge is "Reduce Food Waste" he knew that I would be interested!

 

I have signed us up for the Live Better Challenge . The campaign is running for 7 months in the aim to help us live a little better and think about how we live.

 

I will keep you up to date on what the challenges are over the next 7 months and how we are getting on.

 

This week the challenge is to have zero food waste!

 

Can we do it?

 

I really do not know, but we will give it our best shot!

 

Here is this weeks meal plans...

 

Week Commencing 17th March 2014

 

Meatballs and pasta

 

I am making beef, sausage meat, red onions and herb meatballs. They will be in an onion, garlic and herb sauce with mushroom and served with pasta.

Any left over pasta will be used the following day to make a pasta salad for lunch.

 

Cottage Pie

 

This is my trusted cottage pie recipe and is full of vegetables!

If there are any meatballs left over they will be chopped up and added to the cottage pie sauce.
Any cottage pie leftovers will be kept and given to the twins for lunch the following day.

Smoked Gammon Joint

 

I will be honey roasting the gammon joint and serving with potatoes and vegetables.

Any leftover gammon will be used for sandwiches the following day.

 

Poacher Chicken

 

This is a new idea. We have got some lovely Lincolnshire Poached cheese which needs to be used so I am going to stuff chicken breasts with mushrooms, garlic and Lincolnshire Poacher. It will be served with potatoes and roasted root vegetables.

Any leftovers will be given to the twins for their lunch the following day.

 

Mushroom Risotto

 

This is my hubbys favourite! When I do the weekly shopping I will buy a couple of different varieties of mushrooms to make this risotto and serve with garlic bread.

Normally there are not any leftovers with this meal!

 

Tuna Pasta Bake

 

This is a great, quick meal and always goes down a treat!

As before if there is any leftover pasta it will be kept for a pasta salad for the following day and and leftover pasta bake will be the twins lunch.

 

I am really hopeful that we have a successful week. I will let you know how we get on!

Have a lovely week x

 

 

 

 

I am sharing my meal plan with At Home With Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday have a look for more meal planning inspiration!