Forgotten Pudding Preheating Oven

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Nigella's Forgotten Pudding (from Nigella Express and on the Nigella website) is made with a meringue mixture that is put into a very hot oven. The oven is then switched off and the meringue cooks in the cooling oven, giving a soft, marshmallowy texture.

The oven needs to be preheated to 220c/450F. The time taken to heat the oven to this level will vary according to the make, model and age of the oven. However as it is quite a high heat you may need to allow up to 30 minutes for the oven to get to full temperature. Most ovens have a small (usually red) light by the oven dial and the light will go off once the temperature has been reached. If you have digital controls on your oven then it may show "ready" on the digital display instead. It is best to consult the manufacturer's handbook for details. Note also that the oven temperature is for a conventional oven and you may need to adjust for fan and convection ovens. Again your oven handbook should give guidance.