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Traditional Christmas pudding

Christmas pudding bursting with flavour and lovely wintery aroma
Print Recipe
Servings: 5
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 225 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon ground
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg grated
  • 1/2 tsp allspice ground
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 100 g breadcrumbs fresh
  • 550 g raisins seedless
  • 350 g sultanas (golden raisins)
  • 350 g currants
  • 150 g candied peel sugar coating removed, chopped
  • 50 g almonds blanched, chopped
  • 225 g dark brown sugar
  • 225 g suet shredded (or soft margarine instead)
  • 4 eggs
  • 200 ml milk
  • 100 ml brandy (or milk instead)
  • melted butter for greasing

Method
 

Mixing ingredients
  1. Flour, spices and salt sift into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Stirring, add breadcrumbs, dried fruit, peel, almonds and sugar.
  3. Add the suet (or soft margarine) into the bowl. Stir it properly to make sure that all ingredients are well mixed.
  4. Check freshness of the eggs on side and add them to the mix.
  5. Add milk and brandy. Instead of brandy, you can use the same amount of milk instead, if you want to make a virgin Christmas pudding. Stir it well with all dry ingredients.
Preparing moulds
  1. Cooking pudding in special pudding basins or moulds, use melted butter to lightly brush them.
  2. Use non-stick baking paper to cover the top of each mould. Leave an excess (pleat) to allow the mixture to expand.
  3. Cut to the similar size pieces of cloth. You can use cheesecloth (muslin) or unbleeched calico but you can use foil instead
  4. Use butter to brush the baking paper.
Mixture goes into the moulds
  1. Put mixture into the moulds. Level it with rims.
  2. Cover it with greased and pleated non-stick baking paper.
  3. Cover it with a cloth or foil.
  4. Tie it securely with string.
Boiling
  1. Place trivet of a piece of folded cloth in a large saucepan.
  2. Add water to come half-way up the mould.
  3. Bring it to the boil.
  4. Add the puddings.
  5. Put lid on the saucepan and boil it for 5 hours or for individual puddings for 2 hours.
  6. If more water is needed, top it up with additional boiling water.
Cooling
  1. Boiled puddings take out of the saucepan to let them cool down.
  2. Replace the non-stick baking paper and cloths with fresh ones.
  3. Store the Christmas puddings in a dry, cool, airy place. You can store it for up to 1 year.