Puddings from the plot

Kheer is the great Indian rice pudding — slow-cooked, deeply fragrant and unashamedly rich. Here, sharp spring rhubarb is cooked down into a vivid pink compote and swirled through at the end, cutting through the sweetness of the cardamom and rose water cream with a welcome tartness. It is one of those desserts that looks far more impressive than the effort required.

A dramatic and impressive hot soufflé with an intensely flavoured raspberry base, baked to a gorgeous rise and served the moment it emerges from the oven. Despite its daunting reputation, careful preparation makes this an achievable showstopper for a special dinner party.

A rich, velvety baked cheesecake with a buttery biscuit base and a dense cream cheese filling swirled with sharp blackcurrant compote. The deep purple-black berry cuts through the sweetness of the cream cheese in the most satisfying way, creating a dessert that is both elegant and intensely flavoured.

A magnificent tart with a crisp, sweet pastry shell filled with baked almond frangipane and topped with fresh fig halves that caramelise in the oven to a deep, gorgeous colour. The rich almond cream and the honeyed sweetness of the figs are one of the great flavour pairings in British seasonal baking.

An exquisite summer tart that celebrates one of the great classic pairings in British cookery — sharp gooseberry with fragrant elderflower. The tart has a crisp pastry case, a light elderflower custard filling, and a tumble of sweet-soft gooseberries on top, glazed to a beautiful shine.

A showstopping classic tart with a crisp sweet pastry shell, a generous layer of silky almond frangipane and rows of fresh autumn raspberries that sink into the batter as it bakes, leaving a jewelled, golden surface. This is one of the definitive British patisserie recipes — equally at home on a tea table or as a dinner party pudding. Serve at room temperature with clotted cream.

A showstopping British summer dessert with a crisp meringue shell, soft marshmallow centre, and a cloud of whipped cream piled high with fresh raspberries. The contrast of textures and the bright berry flavour make this a perennial favourite for garden parties and Sunday lunches alike.

The quintessential British summer dessert — a bread-lined pudding basin packed with a sharp, intensely flavoured redcurrant and raspberry compote, then pressed overnight until the bread turns the most vivid crimson. It is unmoulded at the table to gasps of delight.

A stunning upside-down caramelised apple tart with French roots that has become a British dinner party staple. Golden, sticky apples sit beneath a crisp layer of buttery puff pastry, then the whole thing is flipped to reveal a beautifully bronzed top. Serve warm with crème fraîche for an elegant finish.

A magnificent British trifle inspired by the Black Forest flavours of cherry, dark chocolate and cream. Layers of dark chocolate sponge soaked in kirsch syrup, plump cherries in their own syrup, rich chocolate custard and softly whipped cream are stacked in a glass bowl and finished with chocolate shavings. This is pure indulgent celebration.

A striking tart with a crisp, sweet pastry shell filled with a glossy blackcurrant curd and topped with fresh blackcurrants. The curd has an almost shocking intensity of flavour — sharp, fruity, and deeply purple — that makes this one of the most memorable summer tarts in the British baking repertoire.

A no-bake British cheesecake with a crunchy digestive biscuit base, a light and creamy vanilla cream cheese filling, and a vivid blueberry compote topping. Simple to make and magnificent to look at, this is the ideal make-ahead party dessert that delivers every time.

Plump British cherries are nestled into a rich, buttery almond frangipane inside a crisp shortcrust shell, creating a tart of extraordinary depth and fragrance. As it bakes, the cherries burst slightly, releasing their juice into the almond cream and creating pockets of jammy intensity. This is a classic summer showstopper that needs nothing more than a little cream alongside.

Whole fresh figs gently poached in spiced ruby port until swollen and yielding, served in their glossy, wine-dark syrup alongside a thick spoonful of crème fraîche. This is an extraordinarily simple yet deeply elegant dessert that is perfect for autumn dinner parties and requires almost no effort.

An elegant patisserie-style tart with a buttery pastry shell, a luscious vanilla crème pâtissière filling, and neat rows of fresh outdoor grapes glazed to a beautiful gleam. This is a celebration of the British outdoor grape — simple in components but sophisticated and impressive in presentation.

Silky, barely-set vanilla panna cotta served with a lightly poached greenhouse grape compote that pools around the base of each wobbly mound. The cool, cream richness of the panna cotta and the sweet, slightly tart grapes are a genuinely elegant combination. This is a dinner party dessert that looks considerably more effort than it actually is.

A classic French-style patisserie tart with a crisp, buttery sweet pastry shell, a silky vanilla crème pâtissière filling, and a topping of jewel-bright kiwiberries arranged in neat, overlapping circles. The kiwiberries are sliced to reveal their emerald green interior and brushed with a warm jelly glaze that makes the finished tart look extraordinary. A proper celebration pudding.

Ripe pear halves baked into a buttery almond frangipane filling set in a crisp sweet pastry shell — this is one of those recipes that looks far more impressive than the effort involved. The fragrant almond filling puffs up beautifully around the fruit in the oven to create a stunning dessert. Serve just warm with a spoonful of cream.

A luxurious tart with a buttery shortcrust shell filled with smooth white chocolate ganache and topped with rows of gleaming fresh raspberries. The sweet richness of the white chocolate is perfectly offset by the tartness of the berries, making every slice a memorable treat.

A spectacular summer dessert of crisp meringue piled high with softly whipped cream and topped with plums that have been roasted in red wine and star anise until jammy and intensely flavoured. The tartness of the plums cuts perfectly through the sweetness of the pavlova. This is a show-stopping centrepiece for any celebration.

A classic British strawberry pavlova with a crisp meringue shell, a marshmallow-soft centre, clouds of whipped cream and a generous tumble of fresh strawberries on top. It is the celebration dessert that never goes out of style and is almost universally loved. Make the meringue base ahead so that assembly on the day takes just a few minutes.

A showstopping meringue pavlova with a crisp outer shell and marshmallow centre, piled with softly whipped cream and topped with a warm jostaberry compote that bleeds deep purple into the cream. The sharp, winey depth of the jostaberry compote is the perfect foil for the sweetness of the meringue, making this one of the finest summer pavlova variations imaginable.