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200 g plain flour -
1 tsp ground cinnamon
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1 tsp mace
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1 tsp ground cloves
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1 tsp ground ginger
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1 tsp ground allspice
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200 g sultanas
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200 g raisins
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200 g currants
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225 g pitted ready-to-eat Agen prunes
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225 g dried apricots
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225 g stoned dates
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450 g molasses sugar
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110 g shelled brazil nuts, chopped
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110 g almonds
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200 g brown breadcrumbs
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2 crisp eating apples
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1 large carrot, peeled and grated
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170 g beef or vegetarian suet, or substitute melted butter
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6 eggs, beaten
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3-4 tbsp milk
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1 orange, juice and grated zest
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60 ml Somerset cider brandy, or cognac
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300 ml Guinness
1. Lightly butter 3 x 600ml pudding basins.
2. Sift the flour into a very large bowl. Add the reamining ingredients and beat, until everything is throughly combined. The mixture should have a dropping consistency.
3. Fill the pudding basins to just over three-quarters full. Cover with a pleated layer of greaseproof paper and put a pleated layer of foil on top; this will allow the pudding to rise. Tie securely with kitchen string.
4. Place the puddings in a large, heavy bottomed sacepan or casserole dish on a trivet or layer of foil. You may need to use more than one saucepan. Fill the pan with boiling water, to reach halfway up the sides of the puddings. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Cook at a gentle simmer for 6 - 7 hours, topping up with water every couple of hours if you need to.
5. Take the puddings out of the water, remove the foil and greaseproof and leave to cool. Cover the puddings with fresh graseproof and foil and store until ready to use. If you have made the puddings in advance, they may be fed with extra brandy through skewer holes.
6. Before serving on Christmas Day, the puddings should be steamed for a further 2-3 hours.
TANYA TIP: Steam the puddings in your slow cooker - Much easier on Christmas Day to heat them up without using a cooker ring!
Serve with Rum or Brandy Butter