English Berry and Bread Desert

• Mixed berries(strawberries,green and black grapes ,one can use blueberries too,if available)
• Sugar -- 2/3 cup
• Water -- 1/4 cup
• Stale white bread, crusts removed -- 6 to 8 slices
• Butter (melted or softened) 
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• Method
• Clean the berries with a rinse of fresh water and drain thoroughly. If using strawberries, trim and slice into quarters.
• Add the berries, sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low flame. Cook just enough to soften the berries, but not so much they lose their shape and turn mushy. Remove from heat and set aside. Adjust sugar to your taste.
• Line the bottom of a deep bowl or mold large enough to hold all the berries with a slice or two of bread to cover. Line the sides of the bowl neatly with the remaining slices of bread(apply butter neatly to them), trimming them to fit. Make sure there are no gaps between the slices.
• Pour the berries into the bread-lined bowl, reserving some of the juice. Fold any bread slices that stick up over the berries and top with some more bread slices to cover. Pour the remaining juice over the top bread slices to moisten them.
• Place a small plate on top of the pudding and put a soup can on top of the plate to weigh it down. Place in the refrigerator and chill overnight.
• Place a serving platter upside-down on the bowl and quickly flip them over. Remove the bowl, leaving the pretty pudding on the plate. Drizzle the reserved juice around the pudding. Garnish with fresh berries and mint sprigs. Serve with cream, whipped cream or clotted cream or vanilla ice cream.