Granny Cooks Christmas Pud Recipes

Steps:

• Soak the sultanas, currants, figs, mixed peel, cherries and the apricots in the brandy in a bowl overnight if possible or for at least a few hrs (if you don't have time for this, place the fruit in a microwaveable bowl with the brandy and give it a quick blast in the microwave to plump up). In a larger bowl, mix the ginger and syrup, apples, orange juice and zest, eggs, suet, crumbs, sugar and flour. Using your fingers or a wooden spoon, mix in the soaked fruit and mixed spice.
• Butter 2 x 1.5-litre pudding basins and divide the mixture between them, filling almost to the rim. Smooth the tops and cover with 2 circles of greaseproof paper. Cover each pudding with a sheet of foil with a folded pleat down the centre, to allow the pudding to expand, and secure everything by tying it tightly with some string. Stand the puddings in a deep, large pan (or 2 if that's easier) on trivets or upturned saucers and pour boiling water around so it comes about a third of the way up. Cover the pan and steam the puddings for 5 hrs, topping up with more boiling water when necessary.
• Let the puddings cool down before removing the foil and greaseproof paper, then cover with cling film over the top and store in a cool, dry place if you aren't using them straight away. This is the time you can drizzle them with more booze in the run-up to Christmas if you have time. To reheat, steam the pudding for 1 hr more before turning out and flaming with hot brandy.

Steps:

• Place everything but stout and eggs into your largest bowl and mix. Add stout and eggs, and stir everything together. Spoon into pudding basins - we used 1 x 2 litre, 1 x 1 litre and 1 x 500ml basins. Cover with pleated greaseproof paper and foil and secure with string.
• Lower the puds into saucepans with upturned saucers or scrunched-up bits of foil in the bottom (so the puds don't touch the bottom), then fill with water from the kettle until it comes halfway up the sides of the basins. Simmer the small pud for 1½ hrs, medium for 2½ hrs and large for 3½ hrs (topping up with water as necessary). Cool, then store in a cool, dry cupboard for up to 1 year.
• To serve, re-boil puds as above to heat through, 1½ hrs for small, 2½ hrs for medium and 3½ hrs for large (top up as necessary). Turn onto a plate, decorate, and serve.