Bread Pudding - or How to avoid throwing away cake and bread

I think this recipe came originally from my grandmother in Walsall, Staffordshire.  I certainly remember eating it there, although my recipe says I had it from my mother.  It is a great way of using up any stale bread or cake, or using a cake that did not turn out right.  Originally, it was just bread, but after a recipe went wrong for me (I still have not worked out what was at fault), I could not bear to throw all that cake away.  So after a couple of days cogitating, I decided it was worth trying to see if I could rescue it.  The result was so successful, that I have done it several times since.  It is slightly different each time, depending on how much cake or bread you add.

Ingredients:
½lb stale bread and cake
3 oz sugar
2oz butter, margarine, or dripping
4oz mixed dried fruit (the sort with candied peel in)
¼ pint milk (you may need a little more if your bread and cake is very dry)
1 egg
a little freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Method:
1.  Crumble the bread and cake into a large bowl, and pour the milk over it. 
2.  Mix and then leave it to soak for at least one hour.
3.  Then mix in the fruit, sugar, beaten egg and nutmeg.
4.  Melt the fat and mix it into the mixture.
5.  Pour mixture into a well greased pie dish and bake for 1 to 1½ hours at Gas Mark 4***, until a knitting needle poked into the middle comes out clean.
6.  Cut it into suitable sized portions and enjoy (hot or cold)

The texture should be fairly firm but not hard.  Instead of the nutmeg, you could add your own mixture of Christmas type spices, and replace some of the milk with an alcoholic liquid of your own choice. It will be different each time you make it, according to the mix of bread and cake.  I hope you enjoy it. 

*** Temperature conversion
Gas Mark 4 - Conventional oven 350° F/180°C - Fan oven 160°C
The time will vary a little according to your oven.