Preparing for Christmas

This weekend has been put aside to make Christmas cakes and Christmas puddings.  The last Christmas cake is in the oven, two puddings are steaming away with another two waiting their turn.
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas in our house without a homemade pudding.  They taste gorgeous and are nothing like a shop bought one; much more moist, lighter texture but very, very rich.  The recipe I use is a family one, tweeked slightly with help from Delia Smith!

It is not too late to make one so here is the recipe.

Glenda Calvert's Christmas Pudding
Makes one 2 pint pudding-basin size pudding that will easily serve 6-8 people. I double up the recipe to make 1 x 2 pint, 2 x 1 pint and a little one!

Ingredients (sorry all weights are in Imperial measure. Too late to convert now!).
4oz plain flour
4oz fresh white breadcrumbs
4 oz suet
4 oz white sugar
4 oz raisons
4 oz sultanas
4 oz currants
1 oz groud almonds
2 x cooking apples
1 x large carrot (grated)
1 x egg
Juice and zest of half a lemon
Zest of half an orange
Grated nutmeg (about quarter of a teaspoon)
Good pinch of cinnamon and mixed spice
5 fluid oz stout
2 x tablespoons of dark rum

Method
1. Put all dry ingredients together in your largest bowl and mix well together
2. Peel, core and finely chop apple. Peel and grate carrot.
3. Add all dried friut, apple, carrot, orange and lemon zest  to the dry ingredients and mix well.
4.  Measure out the stout in a bowl, add egg and beat well. Pour over other ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. It is now traditional to gather all the family round, especially children, to stir in the final ingredient, the rum and make a wish!
The mixture should be of a fairly sloppy consistency and drop easily off the spoon.  If not just add a bit more stout.
6. Cover the bowl and leave overnight
7. Next day, pack the mixture into lightly greased basin and cover with a layer of greaseproof paper and a layer of tinfoil.  Tie the cover tightly with string (you may need to borrow someone's finger for this!)
8. Place the pudding / puddings in a steamer for 6 hours.
9. When the pudding is cold remove papers and replace with new ones and store in a cool, dark place.
10.  Your pudding is now ready for Christmas Day.  I like to re-steam it for a couple of hours but if you haven't got room on your hob it can be reheated in the microwave however remember to remove the tinfoil if you are using this method!

HAVE A GO, YOU WON'T REGRET IT
GOOD LUCK