Golden syrup English sponge pudding

Method

For pudding

1. Beat the butter and the sugar until every granule of sugar has disappeared. Add 1 spoonful of the flour and beat in well. Beat the eggs with the cold water and gradually beat them into the creamed butter and sugar. Now deftly and thoroughly fold in the rest of the flour.

2. Generously butter a 1-litre pudding basin. Spoon in the Golden Syrup and the lemon juice and then plop in the sponge pudding batter.

3. Cover with a doubled sheet of foil and tie with string under the rim of the basin. Stand basin on a wire rack or an enamel plate inside a stockpot and add boiling water to come two-thirds up sides of the basin.

4. Cover the stockpot and boil for 1 1/2 hours, topping up the water level as necessary. Invert onto a warm serving dish and serve with syrup sauce.

For syrup sauce

1. Bring golden syrup, water, lemon juice and butter to simmering point.

2. Add a little hot syrup to the cornflour mixture and quickly tip the mixture into the simmering syrup. Simmer, stirring until sauce has smoothly thickened a little. Pour into a jug to serve.

Makes 1 cup syrup.