Mrs White's Divine Christmas Pudding

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This recipe has been used in our family for several generations, each having tweaked it a little. My mother dropped the grated carot which was introduced by my Gradma during the war when dreid fruit was in short supply. You can add it back in if you wish. My mother swapped in the Barbados sugar for a richer flavour and darker pudding, and she uses vegetable suet rather than the traditional beef suet.

You will need;
225g (8oz) currants
225g (8oz) sultanas
225g (8oz) stoned raisins
225g (8oz) Barbados sugar
100g (4oz) fresh breadcrumbs
100g (4oz) grated vegetable suet
100g (4oz) ground almonds
100g (4oz) blanched, chopped almonds
100g (4oz) mixed candied peel
175g (6oz) grated cooking apple
225g (8oz) plain flour
Finely grated rind of one orange
Finely grated rind of one lemon
30ml (2tbsp) lemon juice
75ml (3 fluid oz) Guinness
4 beaten eggs
15g (½ oz) ground mixed spice
1.25g (½ oz) grated nutmeg
1.25 (½ oz) ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
75ml (5tbsp) brandy

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl with half the brandy. Pour the mixture into a greased 2ltr (3 pint) pudding basin and cover with a double layer of greased, greaseproof paper, pleated in the middle to allow for expansion. Secure with string tied below the rim and across the top to form a handle. Place a trivet in the base of a large saucepan. Lower the pudding onto the trivet and fill with enough boiling water to come two-thirds up the side of the basin. Cover and cook in simmering water for 8 hours. Pour in more boiling water as necessary.

When the pudding is cooked, pour over the remaining brandy and recover with greaseproof paper and silver foil. The pudding can be kept in a cool place such as a larder for a year or more at this stage.

To reheat simmer gently for 3 hours, or microwave for around 6 minutes.

Bring to the table topped with a sprig of holy and flambéed in brandy.

Comments

dulwichmum said…
I must admit that I like the sound of this pudding, but what I would love to see on here is a good recipie for a West Indian fruit cake where the fruit is soaked for months in rum...
Thursday, 31 January, 2008
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