Weekly Recipe: Christmas Pudding

Ingredients (Serves 12 - Makes 2 Puddings):

1 ½ lbs. mixed dried fruit                    1 tsp. salt

10 oz. fine breadcrumbs                     zest 2 lemons

6 oz. suet                                            1 Bramley apple, peeled & grated

8 oz. dark moist sugar                        4 large eggs

1 tbsp. black treacle                           ½ pint stout or pale ale

2 tsp. mixed spice                              4 glugs of rum

Method:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, add all the dried fruit, breadcrumbs, suet, sugar, mixed spice, salt, lemon zest and mix together thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

  2. Peel and grate the apple using a cheese grater and add to the bowl. Next, crack the eggs one at a time into a separate small bowl, whisk then add to the mix. The mixture should be a reasonably stiff consistency.

  3. Mix in the ale and rum, then mix until you have a mixture the consistency of a wet dough, it needs to be quite thick and have a good squelchy sound to it when it is mixed.

  4. Once the mixture is all combined, you will need to add a drop of oil into the base of your bowls and using a brush grease the sides of the bowl. Next, fill the bowls with the mixture leave about ½ cm gap before the top. Cut a circular piece of greaseproof and place it so it sits inside the edges of the bowl and cover the top in foil.

  5. The puddings will need to be steamed for 6-8 hours depending on how large the containers are holding the pudding mix. After they have been cooked they will need to be left to cool and then put somewhere dry and dark.

  6. Steam the pudding for 2 hours prior to consumption and enjoy piping hot with brandy butter or custard or both.

Toms Top Tips: When making my Christmas pudding at home this is the recipe that we use. We generally just pour the alcohol by eye and tend not to measure because well, it’s Christmas after all. So, I would say that 2 Mississippi count whilst pouring the rum/brandy/alcohol of your choice is generally enough. Also, a fun tradition which we have in my family, make a wish whilst you’re giving it a mix. Let everyone make a wish before you fill the bowls, it’s good fun for the kids too.