Vanilla cream

For a simple flummery-style version, whisk 2 tablespoons of cornflour with a little cold milk, then stir it into 500 ml milk with sugar and vanilla. Heat gently, stirring, until thick and bubbling; cook for another minute, pour into dishes and chill until set.

Serve it chilled with stewed rhubarb, berries or sliced banana. It also works alongside apple crumble or with sponge fingers and fruit in a trifle.

Keep it covered in the fridge at 5°C or below and eat it within 2 days. Put homemade cream in the fridge as soon as it has cooled, rather than leaving it out for hours.

It’s better not to: freezing and thawing can make the set pudding watery or grainy. Make only what you’ll use, or keep leftovers chilled and eat them within 2 days.

Yes. Layer it with sponge and fruit, but expect a firmer set than with pourable custard; whisk it briefly with a splash of milk if you want it softer.

Not usually: vanilla cream is commonly a softly set pudding, while vanilla custard is often served as a pourable sauce. Thick custard can be spooned as a pudding, so the texture and recipe matter more than the name.

The names can overlap for a softly set pudding, including a milk pudding thickened with cornflour. Older flummery recipes can be quite different, so follow the ingredients and method in the recipe rather than relying on the name alone.