Traditional Christmas Pudding
The last Sunday before advent is the traditional date in the UK to get the family together and take turns with the sticky, messy & fun task of mixing up the Christmas pudding ingredients. ‘Stir up Sunday’ is a perfect way to bring some festive tradition to the family home and start the excitement of Christmas in November (If your kids need further encouragement!)
This recipe makes a whopping 10 1 litre puds so your kids will enjoy getting up to their elbows mixing and allowing for lots of lovingly homemade gifts for friends and extended family. If you’d rather make less, you can adapt the recipe accordingly.
Ingredients
1650g Raisins
1125g Sultanas
1125g Currants
600g Chopped almonds
1200g Atora suet
3 Oranges (zest & Juice)
3 Lemons (zest & Juice)
3 Large carrots (grated)
3 Apples (unpeeled, grated)
750g Fresh white breadcrumbs
750g Plain flour
1200g Soft brown sugar
18 Eggs
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp Mixed spice
330g Mixed peel
330g Glace cherries
100ml Brandy
1 ltr Guiness
Method
Place all the ingredients In a large bowl or container (a clean plastic storage container works well and allows lots of hands in at once to help) mix the ingredients really well for 10-15 minutes
Fill 10 1ltr pyrex pudding basins up to 1cm from the rim. Cover the mix in each bowl with a circle of baking parchment and then cover each bowl tightly with two squares of tin foil. Tie around the rim of the bowl with a piece of string to form an air tight seal.
Cook each pudding in a heavy based saucepan filled up to just under the rim of the pudding with boiling water. Simmer on a low heat (with the saucepan lid on) for 5 hours, topping up occassionally Remove the pudding basin from the saucepan and allow to cool. Remove the string and tin foil and wrap the basin in muslin, tying a not at the top. We decorate ours by attaching cinnamon sticks & dried orange to each using a hot glue gun. Puddings should be stored in a cool place until Christmas day.
Reheating and Serving
Reheat in a saucepan of simmering water for 2 hours before turning out onto a serving dish. Warm and flame a ladle of brandy, pour over the pudding at the table. Serve immediately with brandy butter and (my favourite) loads of white sauce.