Nanny Bush’s trifle
Description
Chef’s note:
Recipe serves 6-8.
Nanny Bush was the matriarch of our family from the service trolly of giggles to this trifle. She was a quiet and soft-spoken woman who to me resembled the queen in so many ways. A Norwich girl through and through, she loved to entertain and be seen entertaining while also working as a Lyons nippy girl before the war to a Norwich Union luncheon lady to her retirement. She was the one who taught me about good food and how it made people happy, a true inspiration to me and my sister.
As you have seen on Great British Menu, I would be nothing without the great powerful women in my life who inspire me every day from Nanny Bush, Mama Jill, Sister B, Katja, and the epic Holly Hilda who I now do everything for to make her proud. This is for you, Nanny, who is greatly missed. Every day, I will be sure to raise a glass of sherry and have a slice of trifle at 5 o’clock for you! Love Richard.
You can either do this as one big, flat trifle or in moulds. You will need raspberries to line the inside of your moulds, allow for around four punnets.
Ingredients
Sponge Sponge
Strawberry jelly
Custard
Whipped cream
Instructions
Sponge
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Place the eggs and sugar into a Kenwood bowl and whisk for around 12 minutes or until it has double in size and leaves a thick ribbon trail. Lightly shower in the flour and delicately fold in with a plastic spatula, then add the melted butter.
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Pour on to a tray big enough to hold the moulds and spread the sponge mix out over the whole tray. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Once cooked, remove from oven and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cover with a cloth and leave to cool
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Once the sponge has cooled, use one of the moulds to cut the cake to size. Place the moulds onto very flat baking trays, line with cling film and fit a rectangle of sponge into the base of each mould. Cover the sponge with a layer of raspberries
Strawberry jelly
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Place all into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and place over a pan of boiling water for 30-40 minutes. Strain through muslin into a new pan and bring to a simmer, then whisk in the gelatine. Once dissolved, place into a bowl over ice and allow to lightly set.
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When just at setting point, slowly pour over the sponge and raspberries to around halfway up.
Custard
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Bring the cream to the boil in a saucepan and, in another bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until they are light and creamy. Pour the hot cream over the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then return to the pan and cook until thickened – keep stirring it!
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Pass the custard mixture through a sieve into a clean pan, then whisk in the gelatine. Pour into a bowl and place over ice until nearly set – at this point, slowly pour this over your already set jelly. Fill to the top of the mould, place in the fridge and allow to set.
Whipped cream
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Place into a large clean bowl and whisk until you have just over semi-whipped cream – whipped enough so you can turn the bowl upside down over your head and it will not drop out. Place into a piping bag and place in the fridge until needed.
Garnish
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To finish off your trifle, you can use all your favourite things from popping candy, hundreds and thousands to jellybeans! It’s your trifle now – just don’t tell Nanny Bush!
To dress
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Remove your trifle from the mould and cut into whatever size you like or leave it whole so you can just place in the middle of the table with a large spoon and just dig in! Pipe the whipped cream on top and garnish with all your favourite childhood
sweet treats.
Note
Richard Bainbridge of Benedicts restaurant in Norwich made the final banquet of the Great British Menu with this dish – his iconic Nanny Bush’s trifle.
