Making the Christmas Pudding with Mum...

All the dry ingredients...
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With such a lot of ingredients to mix up, Mum needs a hand to get it all together so I helped out this morning. This is a recipe that is on the back of the Tandaco Suet Mix packet and is the one Mum has made for more than 50 years. Mum usually adds the brandy to the fruit and lets it soak for a few days before making the pud, which is usually about a month before Christmas.
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Traditional Christmas Pudding
1 pkt 250gms Tandaco Suet Mix
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2.5 teaspoons mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
4 cups mixed dried fruit
1/3 cup mixed peel (we omit this as there is peel in the mixed fruit - you could add
some more glace cherries)
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1.5 cups brown sugar
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup brandy (we used 1/2 cup!)
1/2 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1/4 cup boiling water
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Combine all dry ingredients, except carb soda and including the fruit, in a large bowl. Add eggs and then the carb soda dissolved in the boiling water. Mix thoroughly until combined.
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Spoon into a lightly greased 2 litre pudding steamer. Cover securely with lightly greased, pleated greaseproof paper and a tight fitting lid.
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Immerse in a pan of boiling water. Ensure water comes half way up the sides of the steamer. Steam for 5 hours. Be careful not to let it boil dry.
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Remove from water and refrigerate until needed. Serve with brandy custard and cream.
(If, and it is not likely, there is any left over - it freezed really well (wrap in foil). Microwave to re-heat and enjoy some in the New Year - Yum!
~Mixed fruit, cherries, almonds and peel are soaked for days in brandy and is nice and plumped up ...
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All combined...
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Add in the eggs and boiling water and carb soda...
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Press the mixture into the pudding basin - Mum has used this one for every Christmas pudding I can remember..
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Press down 2 layers of baking paper to keep moisture off the pudding while it is steaming...
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Now cover the basin with a layer of baking paper and tie off with string. We also put a layer of foil over the paper just to make it water proof....
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The the basin gets put into a stock pot of boiling water then is simmered for 5 hours (keeping the water level about half way up the basin)...
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This is how nice and dark the pudding turns out (picture taken of Mum & my niece, Christmas 2009) - serve with brandy custard and cream (and I sprinkle mine with a bit of sugar.. wink, wink!)

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Now I am off for another adventure in Ruby - I think we are going to the beach and will sleep nestled in the dunes somewhere. Piccies later!
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Cheers - Joolz