English Lindisfarne Mead and Apple Cream Pudding

A very old recipe from Lindisfarne, also known as The Holy Island in the county of Northumberland in North West England; this small, windswept island, accessible only by a causeway at low tide, is one of the holiest sites in England. This recipe uses two very old English ingredients - Mead and Candied Angelica, a large green herb - the stems are candied and used to decorate cakes and puddings. Anglelica can be found in good cake decorating shops. St Aidan's Winery in Lindisfarne, is the home of the world famous Lindisfarne Mead, which is used in this recipe, but any good quality mead can be used.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  lb cooking apple
• 3  large eggs
• 4  ounces caster sugar
• 1  ounce gelatin powder
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons  lindisfarne  mead
• 1⁄2 pint  double cream
•  angelica, candied

Directions

1. Peel, core and chop apples, cook in 3 tbsps water until they turn to pulp, then force through a sieve to make a purée.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until they are pale, thick and creamy, then fold in the purée.
3. Dissolve the gelatine in 3 - 5 tbsps of cold water by standing the bowl in a pan of boiling water.
4. Stir the gelatine into the egg mixture with the lemon juice and mead. As soon as the mixture starts to set, stiffly whisk the egg whites and fold them into the mixture.
5. Put mixtures into a glass serving bowl and chill until set.
6. Decorate with whipped cream and strips of angelica.