English Christmas

Ingredients

1/2 pound self-raising flour
1/2 pound bread crumbs
1/2 pound shredded suet
1/2 pound currants
1/2 pound stoned raisins
1/2 pound sultanas
4 ounces mixed candy peel
6 ounces demerara sugar
2 ounces blanched almonds (optional)
1 apple
1/4 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 lemon rind & juice
4 eggs
1/2 gill brandy
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 gills milk (as needed)

Instructions

Note: 1 gill = 1/8 pint Mix the flour, crumbs and suet, chop the peel (if not already chopped,) also raisins and almonds, grate apple. Mix all the dry ingredients and flavouring. Beat up eggs and add together with the brandy, lemon juice and other ingredients. Mix the ingredients thoroughly (I leave overnight in a cool place.) Put mixture into greased basins and cover with greased greaseproof paper and boil. Boil for eight hours or steam for ten hours. Store in a cool dry place or mature for about three weeks and then wrap in polythene and freeze. Reheat about three hours. This makes about three medium sized puddings but of course you can vary the size to suit yourself - smaller will need less cooking. We eat it with brandy butter: 2 oz butter creamed with 4 oz soft light brown sugar, add brandy a little at a time to suit your taste. Puddings darken and shrink as they mature.