Nana's Christmas Pudding

This is the Christmas pudding I make every year. It's a rich, beautifully flavoured recipe which my nana used to make every year (I suspect she made several batches as I know often gave puddings as gifts). Sadly she is no longer alive, that she passed the recipe on to me is something that I treasure.

Why mention Christmas pudding now? Well I make two, a big family one for the big Christmas meal, and tiny one (using the mix that doesn't fit in my big pudding bowl) for winter solstice for just the three of us. I've written down the recipe just as it was given to me, and yes it has almonds and eggs in it. The last two years I've just omitted those ingredients, which leaves the pudding a little less well structured on unmoulding, but no less delicious. You could start making this years Christmas pudding any time now...

4oz prunes
1 cup raisins
2oz preserved ginger
1 cup sultanas
1 cup currants
4oz mixed peel
grated rind and juice of 2 lemons and 2 oranges
1/3 cup rum
1/3 cup stout
1/3 cup brandy
3 eggs
6 cups or 12oz fresh breadcrumbs (one large loaf of white bread)
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ tsp cinnamon
pinch ground ginger
pinch salt
6oz butter
3 oz ground almond

Marinate fruit in rum and brandy, fruit rind and juices. Stand overnight

Cream butter, add brown sugar,spices and salt and beat until mixed. Add eggs one at a time. Add fruit and stout alternately with ground almonds and breadcrumbs.

Put into well greased 4 pint pudding basin, filling it no more than ¾. Cover top of basin with foil and tie securely with string, leaving it fairly loose at the top to allow mixture to rise.

Steam, water ½ way up side, with tight fitting lid for 6 hours. Pudding will go soggy if water not boiling.

Replace foil when storing. Resteam for 2 hours. Will keep several years