Name: Granny Martin's Christmas puddings
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h 45 min
Yield: Makes 2 puddings, each serving 6
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 350g sultana; 350g currant; 140g dried fig chopped; 100g mixed peel; 85g glacé cherry halved; 100g dried apricots chopped; 150ml brandy; 100g stem ginger chopped; plus 3 tbsp of the syrup; 2 apples grated; juice and zest 2 oranges; 6 large eggs beaten; 250g shredded suet; 250g fresh white breadcrumbs; 350g light muscovado sugar; 175g self-raising flour; 1 tsp mixed spice; butter for greasing

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Granny Martin's Christmas puddings

Granny Martin's Christmas puddings

James Martin

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Makes 2 puddings, each serving 6

More effort

Prep: 45 mins

Cook: 6 hrs

Plus overnight soaking

A star rating of 5 out of 5.24 ratingsRate

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

350g sultana
350g currant
140g dried fig

chopped
100g mixed peel
85g glacé cherry

halved
100g dried apricots

chopped
150ml brandy
100g stem ginger

chopped
plus 3 tbsp of the syrup
2 apples

grated
juice and zest 2 oranges
6 large eggs

beaten
250g shredded suet
250g fresh white breadcrumbs
350g light muscovado sugar
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
butter

for greasing

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal764
fat23g
saturates10g
carbs130g
sugars101g
fibre5g
protein10g
salt0.81g

low

Method

step 1

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.
step 2

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.
step 3

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.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2009

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A star rating of 5 out of 5.24 ratings

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