Its the Weekend to make Chistmas Puddings - stir it up!

If you are looking for a wee weekend project you could do worse than get your Christmas Pudding on the way.  Feeding it regularly with the alcohol of your choice between now and Christms Day will make sure its a fitting finale to your Yuletide lunch!  We have found that lots of people profess not to be Christmas Pudding fans.  However, once they have tried this they are converted.

We have taken the very tradtional Mrs Beetons recipe and slightly altered to incorporate some local plums we grew in the summer instead of the raisins.  Always nice to include some local twist.

First assemble your ingredients - local plums in the foreground

Mrs Beetons Christmas Pudding – adapted a bit incorporating some PJ taste growing!

8 oz moist sugar (use soft brown )
8 oz chopped vegetarian suet
8 oz sultanas cleaned
8 oz raisins halved and stoned – we used Sheffield wild plums which had been frozen
4 oz currants washed and dried
4 oz shredded mixed candied peel – Cut your own or use ready cut
4 oz of plain flour – Carr house Farm Spelt Flour
4 oz breadcrumbs - whizz up some dried leftover bread
2 oz almonds blanched and shredded
the grated rind of a 1 lemon
3 eggs
a salt spoonful ofnutmeg grated
half a teaspoon of salt
quarter pint of milk
1/2 bottle of fine locally brewed beer
1 small wineglassful of brandy (optional)

Stir it up!

Mix all the dry ingredients together, stir in the well beaten eggs, milk and brandy.  The stirring is the key!

Turn the mixture into 2 well greased basins covered with greaseproof paper and steam in a bain marie for 5 to 6 hours.  A bain marie is just a kitchen term for a baking tin half filled with hot water into which you place your puddings cover with foil and then steam in a medium oven.  Once cooled the puddings will keep well until Christmas - perhaps with the occasional glug of rum or brandy to keep extra moist and boozy.  Simply re-heat on the big day ready to serve with Rum Butter, Brandy Sauce or more simply custard or cream.