Homemade Christmas pudding is so much tastier than shop bought – I made 4 today. Two for this year and two for next year (so long as we don’t eat them before that) as they keep really well; in fact the flavour improves.
First all the ingredients were mixed together in a large bowl; suet, self-raising flour, breadcrumbs (made from homemade bread), mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, dark brown sugar, sultanas, raisins, currants, glace cherries, dates, cooking apple, lemon zest, orange zest, rum, dark beer and eggs.
This was then left overnight so the flavours could all meld together. The liquid had been absorbed by the dry ingredients.
The mixture was packed into greased bowls which were covered and steamed for 8 hours – my kitchen was like a steam room!
We had to eat one of the puddings as I managed to let the pan boil dry and the bottom of the bowl melted! The finished puddings can then be stored. To reheat them just steam for a further 3 hours – on Christmas day I usually do this in the slow cooker to save space on the stove top. This recipe is based on one by Delia Smith which can be found here – I usually make a few changes depending on what dried fruit and alcohol I have available at the time.
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