Traditionally, on the last Sunday before the beginning of Advent, families would come home from church and make their Christmas pudding. This day was informally known as ‘Stir-up Sunday’.
Ingredients
- 300g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 100g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ whole nutmeg, very finely grated
- 350g raisins
- 100g mixed peel
- 50g flaked almonds
- 250g suet
- 225g demerara sugar
- 225g sultanas
- 225g currants
- 2 carrots, peeled and very finely grated
- 2 cooking apples, peeled and very finely grated
Wet ingredients
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 small wine glass of brandy
- 2 tbsp black treacle
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
Method
- 1. Put the breadcrumbs in the biggest mixing bowl you can find. sieve the flour into the bowl with the mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Then add the remaining dry ingredients, up to and including the grated apples.
- 2. Combine all the wet ingredients in a jug. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and mix together, from east to west, with a big wooden spoon. Take it in turns to give it a stir, closing your eyes and making a wish.
- 3. Cover the bowl with a clean, damp cloth and leave overnight.
- 4. Butter 2 x 1.2-litre pudding basins and spoon the mix into them. Place a disc of baking paper on top of the puddings, then seal with a big sheet of baking paper with a central pleat, to allow expansion. Cover with a cotton or muslin cloth and tie with string or foil. Steam for 6 hours in steamers, or in pans with simmering water that reaches two-thirds up the sides of the basins – be sure to keep the water topped up. Remove and allow to cool.
- 5. When cool, re-cover the basins and store in a cool, dry place. On Christmas day, or the day you’re going to eat the puddings, steam for another 1-2 hours. Turn the pudding onto a plate, then pour 75ml of brandy into a ladle and carefully warm over a low heat for 1 minute or so. Light the brandy using a long match and tip over the pudding just before serving.
Nutritional info
Per serving (based on 10): 403kcals, 14.3g fat (6.8g saturated), 5.4g protein, 63.4g carbs, 44.6g sugar, 0.5g salt
Chef's tip
You need to let the pudding sit overnight before steaming it, to allow the fruit to plump up and
the flavours to develop.