Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) Gas 6.

To make the filling, peel apples, core and slice into a large saucepan. Add water, cover and bring to the boil. Cook over medium heat for 12 minutes without removing the lid at all during cooking. Remove from heat and beat in sugar and marmalade with a wooden spoon.

Remove crusts and butter bread. Cut a third of slices into triangles, and the rest into wide fingers.

Grease a 3 pint (1.7 litre) charlotte mould and line the bottom with some of the bread triangles, buttered-side out. Overlap the slices as the bread tends to shrink during cooking. Line sides of mould with overlapping bread fingers, butter-side out.

Pour in apple mixture and top with remaining bread triangles, butter-side up. Cook on centre shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes till golden brown.

Remove from oven. Leave to cool slightly in the mould. Run a knife around the edge and turn out on to a warmed serving plate. Serve hot with custard or cream.