Nanny’s Christmas pudding
An Over60 community member shares her recipe for a scrumptious traditional Christmas pudding.
Serves: Eight to 10
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: Seven hours
Ingredients
375 grams seeded raisins, chopped
375 grams sultanas
250 grams currants
185 grams prunes, chopped
185 grams mixed peel, chopped
Rind of one lemon, finely grated
90 grams blanched almonds, chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
4 ¼ cups soft white breadcrumbs
1 cup sugar
1 cup plain flour
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
4 eggs
¾ cup milk
½ cup brandy
½ cup stout
250 grams butter, melted
Instructions
1. Grease two one-litre basins (or one two-litre basin).
2. Mix together in a large bowl the raisins, sultanas, currants, prunes, mixed peel, lemon rind, almonds, carrot, breadcrumbs and sugar.
3. Sift into the mixture the flour with the salt, nutmeg and mixed spice.
4. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs and then slowly beat in the milk, brandy, stout and melted butter. Pour this into the bowl of fruit and stir.
5. Fill the prepared basin/s leaving about one centimetre at the top.
6. Cut a round of both greaseproof paper and foil and place over the top of the basin/s.
7. Use some string and tie it around the basin/s – make sure you leave a large loop at the top once you’ve tied it up so you can easily pull the string to take the basin in and out of the boiling water.
8. Place an old plate in the bottom of a large saucepan half filled with boiling water. Carefully place the pudding basin in the pan. Make sure the water only comes two-thirds of the way up the sides of the basin.
9. Place the lid on the pan and gently boil for five hours for the large pudding or three hours for two smaller ones. As the water evaporates as it’s boiling, top it up with more boiling water.
10. On the day that pudding is due to be served, boil for a further two hours prior to serving.