I started keeping it when I was young, when I first started cooking.

It was the best advice I was ever given and I always encourage my maids to do the same.

Usually, I make custard pudding with isinglass, but the grocer in Walden didn't have any, so today I'm going to have to use gelatine.

I hope it works.

For this recipe you will need: cream, gelatine, egg yolks, orange flower water, brandy, and blackcurrant jam.

Now to make an excellent custard. Firstly, I've taken a quarter of the cream, heated it a little and melted the gelatine.

Now I'm going to whisk some eggs.

Simple sweets like this are eaten in the second course.

Lord and Lady Braybrooke are very fond of custard.

In fact, I think Lord Braybrooke would eat it with everything!

Now these are well-whisked, I'm going to add the rest of the cold cream.

And now the warm cream.

And now to make this thicken, I need to put it over a low heat.

You need to heat it in order to thicken it, but you must be careful not to curdle it.

Now the custard is thoroughly cool, I can add the brandy and a little orange flower water.

It's quite an old-fashioned flavour - and scent. I'm only going to use a little because it can be quite overpowering and I wouldn't want to cheapen it.

It's now time to put the custard into the mould. I've already lined it with almond oil, so all I need to do is to pour the custard in.

Ooh, very good.

I'm now going to put it in the icebox.

Now my custard is set, it's time to de-mould it.

I've heated up a little blackcurrant jam with some port and ginger wine and put it through a sieve.

I'm now going to pour it just around the side of the custard.

I must make sure it's not too hot... I don't want it to melt the custard.

And there we have it - my custard pudding!