Traditional Christmas Pudding (8-10 people)

This makes a large steamed pudding in a 2 pint/ 1.2litre basin

Ingredients:
4oz/110g shredded suet (vegetarian suet can be found quite easily. Atora do one in a green box.)
2oz /50g self raising flour, sifted
4oz/110g white breadcrumbs
1 level teaspoon ground mixed spice
0.25 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
8oz/225g soft dark brown sugar
4oz/110g sultanas
4oz/110g raisins
4oz/110g prunes, chopped, pitted
10oz/275g currants
1oz/25g candied mixed peel, finley chopped
1oz/25g almonds, skinned, chopped
1 small apple, peeled, cored, and grated
Grated zest of half a large orange
Grated zest of half a large lemon
2 large eggs
5 floz/150ml stout (such as Guiness)
2 tablespoons Muscat (any fortified wine will do, sherry, port, etc)
1 sixpence (optional)

Method:
Lightly grease a 2pint pudding basin
Start the day before you wish to steam the pudding, as it has to be left.
In a large mixing bowl add suet, sifted flour, breadcrumbs, salt, spices, and sugar. Mix well. Add and mix in all the dried peel, and nuts, follow with apple, and the zests. In a smaller bowl measure out the Guiness and Muscat, then add the eggs, and beat them in thouraghly. Pour this over all the other ingredients in the large mixing bowl, and begin to mix very thouraghly (add the sixpence at this point). Mixture should be fairly sloppy - it should fall instantly from the spoon when it is tapped on teh side of the bowl. If it needs more liquid add some more of the alcohol! Cover the bowl, and leave over night.

The following day, pack the mixture into the basin, and cover with a double sheet of greasproof paper, and a sheet of foil, with a pleat in them, to allow some expantion. Tie it securely with a string around the rin of the basin. Tie a piece of string across the top to make a handle. Put the pudding in a steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water, and steam the pudding for 8 hours. DON NOT LET IT RUN DRY! When the pudding is steamed, let it get quite cold, and then remove the steam papers, and replace them with fresh ones, again tie the string, and make a handle. Store in a cool dark place until Christmas Day.

To reheat on the day, steam for 2.5 hours, and then turn out onto a warmed serving plate.
Heat a ladle of sherry over the hob, then carefully light it with a firelighter, before pouring this flaming alcohol over the pudding. If you are going to do this step, make sure you turn out the light, and use a plate with high enough sides that you wont pour burning alcohol everywhere.


NB: don't substitute any of the ingredients, it isn't pretty.
don't use a microwave to reheat the pudding
and if you use the sixpence, try not to swallow it. Don't say I didn't warn you.