Cheap and easy pud ideas?

[BroccoliSpears]

I've got my family coming to stay for 5 days. They are huge eaters.

Will be looking after 2-year-old and 9-week-old as well as doing all the cooking, so won't have time to do big fancy schmancy creations.

Give me some cheap and easy puddings please MNers!

(I'll need to do at least 4 puds while they're here so lots of ideas appreciated)

Fruit salad and ice cream
Crumble
Pavlova
fruit tart

Crumble? Make the bits in advance (stewed fruit, and the crumble mixture) then just put together on the day?

(meant to say - freeze them).

Rice pudding?

crumble is v v easy, I do the crumble mix in the food processor, open a couple of cans of apricots, drain and shove in the bowl with the crumble on top. Could not be easier.

strawberries and cream - easy and lovely. Even better if you can sind some locally rather than supermarket plastic ones.

Good idea chasingsquirrels - send the family out to do pick your own strawberries if there are any near you, then get them to prepare them .

Fake trifle: crumble up some biscuits (shortbread or amaretto depending on taste), layer of sliced bananas, rasps or strawbs slightly squished up, finish with a layer of yogurt - Greek, or rhubarb - whatever you like. Put in fridge for 10 mins or so and serve up in one bowl but also nice in chunky tumblers if you can be bothered.

Get a box of meringue nests. Blob a dollop of craime fraiche into each one. A few rasberries and a squirt of toffee sauce or golden syrup over the whole lot. there won't be many complaints.

Actually that's not true, people will complain it wasn't big enough.

Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding?

You could make this up earlier on in the day and then put it in the oven when you are having tea.

Doesn't cost very much and will feed loads.

I do Banana Splits...slice a banana and bung on whatevers in the larder, honey, yoghurt, even 100's and 1000's! A bit of double cream and bobs your uncle.

Jelly. Just before it sets whisk in a tin of Carnation milk.
It goes MASSIVE and fluffy.

Lemon curd (just spoon a blob out of jar), dollop of Greek yoghurt, plus crumble some of that insanely dark brown sugar over the top. Leave it in layers. Heaven. I serve it in glasses and people are always begging for more. And it takes, erm, three mins to do?

Tallis, that sounds lovely. I'm going to try that. I love EASY things.

Do you have to flambé it or anything, put it under the grill for a minute??

Some really good ideas here. Will let you know how I get on! Thanks all

for crumble you can just use muesli on top.

fruit and pieces of chocolate arranged on a large plate are nice and easy and look good.

a really good 5 min one is sliced apples on slices of brioche topped with icing sugar and grilled. serve with ice cream. yummy. soak apples in calvados if you really like your guests.

Easy cheesecake.

Bash a load of digestives up in plastic bag.Melt butter and mix with biscuits.Press into dish to form base.

Melt lemon jelly in 50ml boiling water.Add tin evaporated milk and mix.Add tub cream cheese.

Put filling on base.Refridgerate.Done.

You can add fruit on the top when it is set.

Greenelizabeth - nope, no flambeing (love your acute accent, very suave...), no grilling, no nothing. It's a real summer thing, I suppose. Just dollop out (a big spoonful of each is fine as is quite rich...specially if you get the full-fat Greek yog which I find is essential) and the dark dark brown sugar which is almost bitter for a sugar. Is it called Mascarene or something? I forget. All in all, it's just a great mix of sweet/tart tastes.

Can't wait to try out some of these other puds too., What a great threat.

great thread durrrr.

And it's Muscovado sugar. double-durrr

I will try that!