Prune and bread pudding

Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (350 ºF). Combine the custard powder, sugar and salt with a little milk. Heat the remaining milk. Add to the custard mixture and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Add the vanilla essence and cool the custard mixture slightly. Beat the egg yolks until pale then fold into the custard mixture. Add the breadcrumbs, prunes and nuts, mixing well. Turn into a greased 24 cm ovenproof dish. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and add the castor sugar by the spoonful. Beat until stiff, then spread on top of the custard mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes until the topping is pale brown. Serve with cream. Serves 6.