W ho on earth buys pre-made custard when you can make it so easily at home? Well, it turns out that lots of chefs believe life is, indeed, too short to make custard. Mary Berry, Jamie Oliver and Angela Hartnett have all confessed to skipping the faff of making a crème anglaise at home, and instead buy a carton or plastic tub of top-quality shop-bought custard. At its best, fresh custard from the supermarket is a luxurious treat and a fast way to add rich, velvety creaminess to something simple.
It’s also great if you want to cheat. Nigella Lawson uses it to make ice cream — another deliciously good use. A good custard shouldn’t be lumpy with curdled eggs or powder: let’s leave that stuff in your school days.
Homemade custard sauce is the kind that is poured, but most of the fresh custard that is pre-made and chilled in the supermarket is thick enough that it has to be spooned over puddings. The Madagascan vanilla that you find in most of it is a nice touch, although in most cases it overwhelms the flavour..
