A sigh of relief...

Well, that's the Christmas puddings made ~ later than I usually make them, but done nevertheless.  I like to get them made late October/early November, really, but wasn't going to bother at all this year.  

This is the recipe I use every year, and have done for absolutely ages now!  I found the original recipe many years ago in an old cookery book but over the years since then I've made various alterations to make a pudding that my family all enjoy ~ well, except for my son as he doesn't like any fruit puddings!

12 oz/340g sultanas
12 oz/340g raisins
6 oz/170g glace cherries, halved or quartered
8 oz/227g finely chopped mixed candied peel
8 oz/227g plain flour
1 level teaspoon ground ginger
1 level teaspoon mixed spice
1 level teaspoon nutmeg ~ freshly grated if possible
1 lb/454g soft brown sugar
8 oz/227g breadcrumbs
10 oz/284g shredded suet ~ beef or vegetable, whichever you prefer
6 eggs
5 fl oz/142ml barley wine
5 fl/142ml oz brandy
grated rind and juice of 1 orange
1/2 pint/284ml milk (approximately)

Grease whatever size of pudding basins you would like your finished Christmas puddings to be ~ this recipe will make enough to fill four 1 pint pudding basins, each one of which will give about six servings. 

Sift the flour and spices into a very large mixing bowl ~ I usually use a preserving pan but couldn't be bothered to rummage around in the kitchen cupboard this year! Stir in the sugar, breadcrumbs, suet... 

...and then add the dried fruit and grated orange rind (I almost forgot to add the orange rind 😲 ). 

Beat the eggs and add to them the barley wine, brandy and orange juice. 

Stir this into the dry ingredients and mix well, adding enough milk to give the mixture a soft dropping consistency.

Put the mixture into your well greased pudding basins and cover each one with a doubled-up sheet of greaseproof paper, with a pleat in the centre to allow for expansion whilst the pudding is steaming. 

I used to fiddle about with string to keep the paper in place, but one year I had a brainwave and started to use elastic bands instead ~ this year it was back to the string as I couldn't find any elastic bands!  If you haven't got a pudding basin net, just use string to make a handle as it will be easier to lift the pudding from the steamer. 

Bring a pan of water to the boil and place the pudding, in a steamer, on top; turn the water down to a low simmer. The puddings will take between 5 and 7 hours to steam, depending on the size of basin you use.  I made three one pint puddings, which I steamed for 6 hours each, and one slightly pudding which took 7 hours.  I usually set my timer for one-hour-at-a-time so that I remember to watch the level of water in the pan, and keep it topped it up as necessary with boiling water from the kettle. 

This old saucepan belonged to my Grandma and I only ever use it for steaming puddings ~ each time I use it, though, I am reminded of her 😊 I've had the steamer forever; it's a wee bit battered these days as it's been dropped on my quarry tiled kitchen floor a number of times of the years!

At the end of the steaming period, take the pudding from the steamer and remove the greaseproof paper. Cover with a clean tea-towel and leave on one side to cool. When the pudding is totally cold, remove it from the basin and wrap in a fresh double sheet of greaseproof paper and then wrap tightly in cooking foil. Store the puddings in a cool place. As I said earlier I really like to make my puddings towards the end of October and it's a family tradition to have one at Easter, too. They should keep well, what with all the sugar and alcohol in them!

When you want to eat your yummy Christmas pudding, you can either gently steam it for about 1 1/2 hours or reheat in the microwave. I can't really tell you how long to cook the pudding in the microwave as it is very much a trial-and-error process! I just tend to heat it on full in approximately five minute bursts until it is good and hot all the way through.

Serve your pudding with whatever your family likes best ~ rum butter, cream, a white sauce, custard, etc. We like to have our's either with cream or a white sauce with brandy, which I make very simply like custard ~ just substitute the custard powder for cornflour and add brandy to taste! 

I hope you enjoy this recipe. You can tweak away to your heart's content on the proportions and varieties of dried fruit, so long as the total amount remains about the same. You could have a little less fruit and add nuts. You could also use rum instead of brandy ~ I use brandy as I'm not keen on rum!  Make the recipe your own by using the fruit (and nuts) that you and your family like to eat 😊