In the sixteenth century the Devonshire White Pot was made by soaking thin slices of bread in hot milk, beating to break up the bread, then adding eggs, sugar, spices and dried fruit and baking it in an open dish. In the nineteenth century, possibly following the recipe of the popular bread-and-butter pudding, the recipe was adapted to create a steamed pudding. Rather than combining the fruit and spices into the bread, milk and egg mixture, the slices of bread were layered with them in a pudding basin and a custard poured over before it was steamed. This is the earlier version.
Tip: To make breadcrumbs, the best way is to place chunks of bread into a blender and whizz. You may need to turn the blender off occasionally and push the bread pieces down with a wooden spoon.
