Traditional Plumb pudding

This is a recipe for tradition al plumb pudding, a Christmas classic. You can make this on the day or do it weeks in advance letting you have time to enjoy the day and get out of the kitchen.

The recipe is for a lot; it makes about 2 x 1.2 litre/2 pint puddings so if you are not having a big part round for dinner then cut all the measurements by half. You will need the following ingredients

900g/2lb mixed dried fruits, such as figs, apricots, cherries, raisins, dates or sultanas

150ml/5fl oz of spirit (rum, brandy or whisky)

1 large orange, zest and juice

225g/8oz butter, softened,

225g/8oz dark brown sugar

4 large free-range eggs,

110g/4oz self-raising flour

110g/4oz breadcrumbs

85g/3oz chopped nuts (almonds, hazelnuts or pecans)

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 heaped tsp cinnamon

Get your dried fruit in a large bowl. If there are any large pieces of apricot or fig, cut them up so all about the same size. Pour over the spirit , grate the zest of the orange and add to the bowl. Then add the juice of the orange. Mix the fruit and juice together well. Cover and leave in a cool place overnight.

The next day lightly butter two 1.2 litre/2 pint pudding basins. Cut a disc of parchment paper and place in the bottom of each basin. This will stop it from sticking, and protect the top as you turn it out.

Now get a large mixing bowl  and add your sugar and butter and cream them together until they change colure and are full creamed together. Take another bowl and crack your eggs into that and whisk them up and slowly a little at a time add them to the sugar and butter mix. If it looks like it is starting to separate add a little of the flour just to bind it together. 

Now add the rest of the flour through a sieve slowly once more so that every thing gets mixed together into a smooth mixture. Then add the bread crumbs, fruits that have been soaking over night, nuts and the spices. Mix it all together so that everything is bound together.

Take the mix and spoon it into your two pudding basins and cover with a double piece of parchment paper and a small piece of tin foil over that and tie up with string.

Now steam them for about four hours or so and you are ready to serve them. Or if you do not want to you should be able to keep them in a cool place for two or more months. Just steam for about another hour so that it is fully warmed.

Serve with custard, rum, brandy, whisky sauce, ice cream ,or just as it is.