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Old-Fashioned Christmas Plum Pudding

Prep Time6 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: English
Keyword: Christmas
Servings: 25
Author: Hannah Lawrence

Equipment

  • large mixing bowl (the larger the better)
  • large pot with firm lid (needs to comfortably fit the pudding in its cloth)
  • square of calico (washed; approx. 900mm by 900mm)
  • strip of calico (approx 100mm by 400mm to tie and hang the pudding)
  • china dinner plate (hardy enough to withstand 6 hours of boiling)

Ingredients

  • 500 g self-raising flour plus extra for dusting
  • 15 g mixed spice
  • 500 g currants
  • 500 g raisins
  • 125 g mixed peel
  • 375 g brown sugar
  • 250 g lard cold (Note 1)
  • 6 eggs
  • 4 tbsp milk
  • 2 tbsp golden syrup (Note 2)
  • 1 tbsp brandy a freehand pour is much more traditional and highly recommended
  • custard or ice-cream to serve

Instructions

3-8 weeks prior to Christmas

  • Put on a very large pot of water to come up to the boil.
  • Sift the self-raising flour into a very large mixing bowl, followed by the allspice. Mix thoroughly.
  • Using a box grater, grate the cold lard into the bowl.
  • Using your fingers, rub the lard into the dry ingredients until it is completely incorporated.
  • Add in the brown sugar. Mix thoroughly.
  • Add in the raisins and currants, followed by the mixed peel. Mix thoroughly.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.
  • To the eggs, add the milk, golden syrup and brandy. Whisk thoroughly.
  • Pour the egg mix onto the dry ingredients and stir very well to ensure that there is no dry mix left at the bottom of the bowl.
  • Place your calico in a large colander in the kitchen sink and drench it with a full kettle of boiling water. Wearing rubber gloves, wring out the wet calico to remove any excess water. You want it to be hot and damp, but not dripping.
  • Lay the calico on a clean flat surface and evenly dust with the extra sifted flour, leaving a border around the edge free of flour (roughly 20cm).
  • Transfer the dusted calico to a large colander, arranging the fabric so that it lays flat in one layer within the colander, and the edges of the fabric hanging over the sides. (You will need two pairs of hands for this to ensure the flour is not too disturbed). The floured part of the fabric should be within the colander, while the overhang should be clean.
  • Scrape the batter into the calico and gather the edges of the fabric together so that the batter is completely enclosed.
  • Secure the calico as tightly as possible with the extra strip of fabric, including a loop so that the pudding can be hung to dry. Make sure that you leave some room between the top of the pudding and the tie, to allow for the pudding to expand while cooking (roughly 2 inches).
  • Place the china dinner plate at the bottom of the pot of boiling water and then add the pudding in its calico, so that the base of the pudding is resting on the plate. The pudding should be fully covered by the water.
  • Boil the pudding for six hours, topping up the water levels as needed. The water should be soft boiling.
  • Remove the pudding from the boiling water (washing-up gloves recommended to protect your hands.) Place it in the colander to cool for a few minutes.
  • The pudding is now ready to be hung and dried until Christmas Day. The pudding should be hung in a cool, dry location away from direct sunlight, but with good ventilation (pantry, spare wardrobe, garage). It is important that the pudding is dried as quickly as possible to prevent mould from developing. I would recommend putting it in front of a fan for a few days to expedite this process.
  • To prevent mould from forming, when the cloth has dried, wipe all over with a brandy soaked clean cloth.

On Christmas Day

  • Bring a very large pot of water to the boil.
  • Add the pudding in its cloth, ensuring it is fully submerged.
  • Boil gently for two hours (to coincide with dessert time).
  • Remove the pudding from the boiling water wearing rubber gloves, and let it sit in a colander to cool for a few minutes before proceeding.
  • Untie and remove the calico and invert the pudding onto a large platter.
  • Serve with lashings of hot custard, brandy butter or ice cream (Note 3).

Optional step: Setting the pudding alight!

  • This is a real showstopper and a bit of fun. To set your pudding alight, once it is on the serving dish, douse it in brandy and then put a match to it. The fire will burn itself out very quickly. Don’t forget to dim the lights, as the fire is subtle on the eye.

Notes

  1. Lard is pure fat. It can be found in the refrigerator section of the supermarket with butter and Copha. Traditionally, suet was used, however, processed lard provides the same results, with much less mess.
  2. Treacle or honey can also be substituted.
  3. Leftover pudding can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.