Rosy rhubarb queen of puddings

Preheat the oven to 160C. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan until the milk is hot, add the breadcrumbs, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest, stir and set aside for 10 minutes. When cooled whisk in the egg yolks. Spoon into a 1.2-litre pie or baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes or until just set. Remove from the oven. Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they form soft peaks then slowly add the sugar. Stir the rosewater into the rhubarb. Spoon the rhubarb over the bread custard and pile the meringue over the top. Return to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes. Serve with softly whipped cream.

Serves 6-8

600ml milk

1 tbsp butter

3 cups fresh breadcrumbs from strong bread

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 lemon, zest only

3 eggs, separated

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 tsp rosewater

1 cup poached rhubarb