Recipes

Seasons

Christmas pudding

Serves: 24 Preparation time: 30 minutes plus soaking overnight Cooking time: 4 hours, plus reheating Ingredients 175 g raisins 125 g currants 200 g sultanas 250 g chopped dates 125 g mixed peel 225 g dried apricots, chopped 300 ml Guinness beer 60 ml rum grated rind and juice of a lemon grated rind and juice of an orange 225 g butter, at room temperature 350 g Huletts treacle sugar 1 green apple, cored and grated 30 ml Huletts treacle 3 large eggs 125 g self-raising flour 5 ml ground mixed spice 10 ml ground cinnamon 2 ml freshly grated nutmeg 10 ml ground ginger 225 g fresh white breadcrumbs

Method

1. Place the raisins, currants, sultantas, dates, mixed peel and apricots into a large mixing bowl.
2. Pour over the beer, rum, lemon rind and juice, and the orange rind and juice.
3. Cover the bowl and set aside to soak overnight.
4. Cream together the butter and sugar until light.
5. Stir in the grated apple and molasses.
6. Beat the eggs in one by one, adding 15 ml self-raising flour to help prevent the mixture from curdling.
7. Fold in the remaining flour and spices.
8. Add the breadcrumbs and gently fold mixture together.
9. Stir in soaked fruit, then all make your wishes.
10. Grease and line 2 x 1 kg pudding basins or 4 x 500 g pudding basins.
11. Spoon in the mixture.
12. Cut round lids out of doubled greaseproof paper, allowing a little overhang.
13. Fold a 1 cm pleat down the centres of the greaseproof circles and cover basins, tying in place with string under rim.
14. Pleat a piece of foil or muslin in the same way and secure over basins.
15. Steam for 4 hours, topping up with boiling water as required, or cook in a pressure cooker for 2 hours.
16. Store pudding until needed, then steam for a further 2-4 hours, or 2 hours in a pressure cooker.