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Recipe: Christmas Pudding
This year, to mark hundreds of years of tradition, The Royal Mint has commissioned Rachel Walker, Food Editor at Reader’s Digest, to create a Christmas Pudding ahead of Stir Up Sunday. The Christmas pudding is one of the essential British Christmas traditions, having been introduced to the Victorians by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. On Stir Up Sunday, families gather together in the kitchen of their home to mix and steam the Christmas pudding. Parents teach their children how to mix ingredients for the pudding and everyone takes a turn to stir the mix and make a special Christmas wish for the year ahead.
Servings: 8 -10
Ingredients
- 170 g sultanas
- 140 g currants
- 140 g raisins
- 200 ml water
- 30 g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground mace
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 55 g breadcrumbs
- 85 g shredded suet - if you cannot get hold of suet, softened butter works just as well
- 40 g chocolate - 70%, grated
- 1 cooking apple - peeled and grated
- 85 g soft dark brown sugar
- 20 g chopped mixed peel
- 55 g blanched almonds - roughly chopped
- 1 lemon - zested
- 1 orange - zested
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 3 tbsp brandy
- 1 egg - beaten
- 1 tsp butter
- The Royal Mint Sixpence
- 1 litre pudding basin / heat proof bowl
- Greaseproof paper
- Large elastic band
- String
- Stock pot
- Steamer basket/Deep saucer/ramekin
Instructions
- Put the sultanas, currants and raisins in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 3 minutes. Leave to soak, uncovered, overnight.
- Sift the flour and spices into a mixing bowl.
- Add the breadcrumbs, suet / butter, grated chocolate, grated apple, brown sugar, mixed peel, almonds, lemon and orange zest.
- Mix well, using your hands to get rid of any lumps of butter and ensuring the mixture is fully blended together
- Stir in the soaked fruit, which will have plumped-up over overnight. Next, stir in the treacle, brandy and beaten egg.
- Mix well, and stand overnight. While this isn't necessary, the marinating helps the spices soak in. Before you're ready to cook, stir in the sixpence. It's traditional for everyone to give the pudding a turn with a wooden spoon at this stage, and make a wish.
- Use the knob of butter to grease the pudding bowl, and tip the Christmas pudding mixture into it.
- Cut one circle of greaseproof paper, which is few inches bigger than the rim of the bowl. Use a large elastic band to secure it over the pudding bowl with a folded pleat running through the middle. This will room to allow the pudding to release excess steam. Cover the top with a piece of tin foil (same size as the greaseproof paper) and then tie it tightly with the string.
- Make a loop of string across the top, to fashion a handle, so the pudding can be easily lifted in and out of the pan.
- If you are using a steaming pot, pour some water into the bottom of the stock pot – about one eighth full – so that the steaming basket sits in the bottom, just above the water level. Bring the water to boil, and place the Christmas pudding in the basket.
- If you don’t have a steaming basket, simply use the upturned saucer or ramekin so that the pudding basin is kept away from direct contact with the base of the pan. Then fill the stock pot with water to around half-way up the side of the pudding basin.
- Put on the lid, and steam at a gentle simmer for four hours. Keep an eye on the water to make sure that the pan doesn't boil dry, and add more water from the kettle to keep it topped-up if needed
- If the lid of the stock pot doesn't fit on tightly, it's not ideal, but not disastrous– as long as there's plenty of steam circulating. Keep an even more careful eye on water levels though, as a loosely-covered pot is more likely to boil dry.
- Lift the pudding out of the pan after four hours, making sure you keep the greaseproof lid on – that way you can store the Christmas pudding for up to two months.
- On Christmas Day, steam the pudding again for another two hours, and serve – perhaps with a sprig of holly on top, and a splash of brandy to light.
• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.