Pudding perfection

The pudding is often what people remember longest after a meal because it is the last thing they ate. It is also the part of a meal that can most easily go wrong, often because when we are entertaining we think we will just be able to finish this and cook that during the meal. In truth, what happens is that we enjoy the party and momentarily forget about the pudding. So follow any cook-ahead instructions and have all your accompaniments ready so that you have that perfect pud at your fingertips.