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Cranachan
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Cranachan

A traditional Scottish pud often eaten at Burns Suppers. Originally it was made simply of crowdie (a kind of smooth curd cheese) and toasted oatmeal, but this recipe uses cream, oatmeal and raspberries instead.

Serves 4
50g pinhead or medium oatmeal (from health food shops)
284ml (1/2 pt) double cream
A splash of whisky or a few drops of vanilla essence (both optional)
2 tbsp maple syrup (if you like a sweeter taste)
300g fresh raspberries


To toast the oatmeal, place in a heavy-based, large-bottomed pan and cook on a medium heat, turning the oatmeal with a wooden spatula until it’s a lovely toasty brown. (You can also toast the oatmeal under the grill, but keep turning it so it doesn’t burn.) Allow to cool, then sieve out any dust.
Beat the cream until it holds its shape but is still a bit sloppy. Stir in the whisky or vanilla essence (if using) and maple syrup (if using).
Wash and pat the raspberries dry.
Traditionally, the cream, toasted oatmeal and berries were brought to the table in separate bowls so people could assemble their own pudding to taste, but you can also make it up in individual dessert glasses. Keeping a few raspberries back for decoration, lightly stir the rest of the raspberries into the cream so you get juicy red raspberry trails running through. Mix in the oatmeal. Spoon the cream into each glass, and top with a few raspberries.