Now Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding!!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and the time of year has arrived for Christmas pudding making!  The McWhinney’s donned their aprons and made ours yesterday and I thought I’d share the recipe with you!  We use Delia with a few tweeks here and there, the main one being the amount of booze included!  We often keep ours for a whole year before eating them, and they are still just as delish!  Remember to make your Christmas pudding wish while stirring – all of mine have come true!!! 

Serves: 2 puddings in 2 pint (1.2 litre) basins, or four in 1 pint (570 ml) basins 

Ingredients:
*      225g shredded suet
*      110g self-raising flour, sifted
*      225g white breadcrumbs, grated (or word processed) from a stale loaf
*      1 heaped teaspoon of mixed spice
*      1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
*      ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
*      450g soft brown sugar
*      225g sultanas
*      225g raisins
*      575g currants
*      50g mixed peel – finely chopped whole candied and citron peel if available
*      50g almond, blanched, skinned and chopped
*      1 apple, peeled, cored and grated
*      Grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon
*      4 eggs
*      6 tablespoons brandy (Delia says rum, but I think brandy is much better!) 

Method: 

1.     Put the suet, flour, breadcrumbs, spices and sugar in a bowl, mixing in each ingredient thoroughly before adding the next.
2.     Gradually mix in all the dried fruit, peel and nuts and follow these with the apple and the orange and lemon rind.
3.     In a different bowl, beat up the eggs and mix in the brandy.
4.     Empty this into the dry ingredients and stir very hard indeed – Remember to make your Christmas pudding wish here!
5.     Mix until it falls from the spoon when tapped sharply against the side of the bowl.
6.     After mixing, empty the contents into 2 (or 4) greased pudding basins and pack the mixture into them right to the top.
7.     Cover each basin with a square of greaseproof paper, with a square pudding cloth on top.  Tie these round the rims of the bowls with string.
8.     Steam the puddings for 8 hours – keeping an eye on the water to make sure it doesn’t boil away.  When cooked and cooled, remove the paper and cloths, and replace it with fresh foil.
9.     Store in a cool, dry place and, when ready to eat, steam for 2 hours.
10. Pour over some brandy, light with a match and carry to the table while lit for an extra Christmas spectacle!