We would always have a traditional homemade christmas pudding at christmas – served with cream, custard or my personal favourite rum sauce.
The pudding would always have been made a few weeks in advance and left to mature, and I do believe to this day that the almost daily brushing of alcohol is what made it so very special. I personally do not take well this tradition of setting fire to the pudding just before serving – yes, it looks impressive. But it always leaves a bitter taste to the outside of the pudding which I find unpleasant – but each to their own I suppose!
Ingredients
200g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mace
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp allspice
200g sultanas
200g raisins
200g currants
225g pitted ready-to-eat prunes
225g Dried Apricots
225g stoned Dates
450g molasses sugar
110g shelled Brazil nuts, chopped
110g almonds, chopped
200g brown breadcrumbs
2 crisp eating apples, grated
1 large carrot, Peeled and grated
170g vegetarian suet
6 eggs, beaten
3-4 tbsp Milk
1 orange, juice and grated zest
60ml cognac
300ml Guinness
Method
1. Lightly butter 3 x 600ml pudding basins.
2. Sift the flour into a very large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and beat, until everything is throughly combined. The mixture should have a dropping consistency.
3. Fill the pudding basins to just over three-quarters full. Cover with a pleated layer of greaseproof paper and put a pleated layer of foil on top; this will allow the pudding to rise. Tie securely with kitchen string.
4. Place the puddings in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan or casserole dish on a trivet or layer of foil. You may need to use more than one saucepan. Fill the pan with boiling water, to reach halfway up the sides of the puddings. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Cook at a gentle simmer for 6 – 7 hours, topping up with water every couple of hours if you need to.
5. Take the puddings out of the water, remove the foil and greaseproof and leave to cool. Cover the puddings with fresh greaseproof and foil and store until ready to use. If you have made the puddings in advance, they may be fed with extra brandy through skewer holes.
6. Before serving on Christmas Day, the puddings should be steamed for a further 2-3 hours.