Already?! Yes!!!

It’s that time of the year when we start preparing our delicious Christmas Pudding. The earlier you do this, the better, so the flavours of all the dried fruits baked together with the spices, eggs, flour, and butter have time to mature.

Ingredients

• 150g currants
• 150g sultanas
• 150g prunes
• 175ml sherry
• 100g plain flour
• 125g bread crumbs
• 150g vegetable suet
• 150g dark brown muscovado sugar
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1tsp baking powder
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 3 large eggs
• 1 medium cooking apple (grated)
• 2 tbsp honey

Equipment

• Steamer
• Large mixing bowl
• Heat-proof basin
• Spoon

Other

• Cling film
• Foil
• Baking paper

Method

1. Mix currants, sultanas and prunes in a bowl. Add sherry, cover with cling film and leave to soak for a week. Give them a stir every now and then.
2. After a week, butter a heat-proof basin and mix remaining ingredients. Add soaked fruits and press it down. Cover with foil and steam for 5 hrs. When ready and cooled, remove foil and replace with a baking paper and cling film on top. Leave on the side (we place it inside a kitchen cupboard or on top of the fridge) until Christmas day. In the meantime you can uncover every now and then to pour in more sherry if you wish and cover again. 
3. On Christmas day, steam for another 3 hrs and serve.