First, make your vanilla-brandy infusion to flavour the custard later. So, in a small saucepan, bring 60ml – about 4 tablespoons – of brandy and the chopped vanilla pod to the boil, and then let it bubble away for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Fill the sink with cold water, and get on with the custard: warm the milk and cream in a saucepan. In a bowl, whisk together the yolks and sugar, then beat the warm milk and cream into the yolks. Put everything back into the washed-out saucepan and, stirring or whisking constantly, keep on a low heat until it thickens. With this many yolks, it won’t take long. But if you think there’s any sign of imminent splitting, plunge the pan into the sink of cold water and beat like mad with a Magiwhisk till all danger is averted.

When the custard’s thick, take it off the heat, stir in the brandy-vanilla infusion and set aside, covered with wet greaseproof, till cold.

Split the trifle sponges and sandwich with the cherry jam and line a bowl (preferably glass) with them. Pour over the remaining 75ml brandy and now, holding them over the sponges in the bowl for profitable juice-catching, stone the cherries. Boring work, time-consuming certainly, but not difficult. When all the cherries are stoned and in, pour over the cooled custard, cover with clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 24 hours, or at least 12.

When you’re ready to eat, or almost, toast the almonds in a dry pan for a few minutes till golden and aromatic, then turn onto a cold plate to cool. Whip the double cream till thick but still soft, and pile it over the custard in the bowl. Put the sieved cherry jam, lemon juice and the tablespoonful of water into a little pan and bring it to the boil, letting it bubble away till you have a runny red syrup. Take the pan off the heat to let it cool down slightly, then scatter the almonds over the trifle and drizzle over the jam syrup.