Head chef Philip Brazil of Sheen Falls Lodge, Kenmare, County Kerry serves this dessert with warm chocolate and fudge sauce.

Serves 4

Ingredients

150ml milk
150ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped out
Butter, for greasing
1/2 sliced loaf of bread, each slice buttered
75g dried apricots, diced
75g raisins
3 free-range eggs
2 free-range egg yolks
55g caster sugar
85g dark chocolate
150ml double cream
85g Dingle Fudge
Vanilla ice cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.

2. Place the milk, cream and vanilla pod and seeds into a saucepan over a low heat and heat until steaming, but not boiling. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes, then remove the vanilla pod. Grease 4 individual tin foil moulds or ramekins. Arrange the buttered bread slices into the moulds, sprinkling the apricots and raisins between each layer of bread.

2. Whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks and caster sugar together in a bowl, and then gradually pour over the infused milk mixture, stirring constantly. Pour this custard mixture over the bread and dried fruit and transfer to the oven to bake in a bain marie for 20-30 minutes, or until the custard is set and the bread is golden brown.

3. To make the chocolate sauce: heat the chocolate and cream together in a pan over a low heat, stirring continuously until combined. Add the Dingle Fudge and stir until dissolved. Remove the bread pudding from their moulds, place in the centre of a dessert plate, spoon the chocolate sauce over the pudding and add a quenelle of ice cream. Serve immediately.