NOW MAKE YOUR OWN PUDDING

Ingredients:

50g blanched almonds

2 large Bramley cooking apples

200g box candied peel ( large pieces)

1 whole nutmeg

1kg raisins

140g plain flour

100g soft fresh white breadcrumbs

100g light muscovado sugar, crumbled if it looks lumpy 3 large eggs

2tbsp brandy or cognac 250g packet butter, taken straight from the fridge

PEEL, core and chop the apples, chop the almonds coarsely and the candied peel.

Grate ¾ of the nutmeg. In a large bowl, mix the almonds, raisins, apples, candied peel, flour, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, eggs, muscovado sugar and brandy.

Grate a quarter of the butter in the bowl and stir everything together. Repeat until all of the butter is grated. Stir for 3- 4 minutes.

Butter two 1.2 litre bowls and put a circle of baking parchment on the bottom of each. Pack in the pudding mix.

Cover with a layer of baking parchment, pleating it to allow for expansion, then tie with a string and trim off any excess paper. Stand each bowl on a large sheet of foil and cover to make a double package to make the pudding watertight.

Tie with more string and make a handle for easy lifting out of the pan. Boil or oven steam the puddings for eight hours, topping up with water when necessary.

Remove from the pans leave to cool overnight.

When they are cold, discard the wrappings and rewrap in new baking parchment, foil and string.

Store in a cool, dry place until Christmas and keep injecting brandy if you like.

On Christmas Day, boil or oven steam for one hour. Unwrap and turn out.

To flame, warm 3- 4tbsp brandy in a small pan, pour it over the pudding and set light to it.

Recipe courtesy of recipe developer Ligia Lugo from thedaringkitchen. com and