Christmas pudding recipe

This is a Christmas pudding to boast about. Absolutely crammed with dried fruits, nuts, apples and even Grand Marnier, it is a really special pudding. If you decide to make the smaller puds they only take 2 hours in the oven.

Makes 2 x 1-litre puddings (each serves 8), or 10 x 175ml mini pudding basins
Takes 1 hour to make, plus overnight soaking and up to 5 hours' steaming

Ingredients

250g raisins
250g sultanas
75g blanched almonds, chopped
100g glacé cherries, halved
75g mixed peel
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
100ml orange juice
75g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tsp mixed spice
100g molasses sugar
100ml Grand Marnier
100ml milk
Butter, for greasing
100g self-raising flour
1 large Bramley apple, grated
250g vegetable suet
4 eggs

METHOD

How to make christmas pudding

1. Put all the dried fruit, nuts, cherries and peel into a large bowl. Add the zests, orange juice, breadcrumbs, spice, sugar, Grand Marnier and milk. Mix well, cover and leave overnight.

2. The next day, mix in the remaining ingredients well. Butter either 2 x 1-litre pudding basins or 10 x 175ml pudding basins. Fill a good three-quarters full with the mixture. Cover with a double layer of buttered, pleated, greaseproof paper. Tie string around the rim.

3. For the large puddings: put an upturned saucer inside a large saucepan and sit 1 pudding on top. Repeat for the other one. Pour boiling water into each pan to come halfway up the basins. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer for 5 hours, topping up with boiling water if necessary, until a skewer comes out clean. For the mini puddings: preheat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Place in a deep roasting tin and fill the tin with boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides. Cover the tin with foil and bake for 2 hours.

4. Decorate with holly and dust with icing sugar. This can be served with Grand Marnier butter.

Tip: To keep: Cool the puddings, turn out and wrap well in greaseproof paper then foil. Store in a cool place for up to 3 months. To reheat: Prepare the large pudding as before and steam for 2 hours, until piping hot. For the individual puddings, bake at 190C/fan170C/gas 5 as before for 1 hour, until piping hot.