Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)
Quick Ingredients
- Raisins 175 g, sultanas 175 g, currants 150 g, mixed peel 75 g
- Blanched almonds (chopped) 75 g
- Orange zest + juice of 1, lemon zest of 1
- Brandy 150 ml (75 ml for soaking/mixture, 75 ml for feeding/flaming)
- Shredded suet 125 g; fresh white breadcrumbs 150 g
- Plain flour 100 g; soft dark brown sugar 175 g
- Ground mixed spice 2 tsp; cinnamon 1/2 tsp; nutmeg 1/4 tsp; cloves 1/4 tsp; fine salt 1/4 tsp
- Eggs 2 large; grated dessert apple 150 g
- Black treacle 40 g (2 tbsp); golden syrup 20 g (1 tbsp, optional)
- Milk 50–80 ml, as needed
- For serving: brandy butter (butter 150 g, icing sugar 200 g, brandy 45–60 ml) or custard
Do This
- 1. Soak dried fruits, peel, almonds, citrus zest/juice with 50 ml brandy for 12 hours.
- 2. Grease a 1.2 L pudding basin; line base with parchment. Prep pleated parchment+foil lid.
- 3. Mix suet, breadcrumbs, flour, sugar, spices, salt; stir in apple and soaked fruit.
- 4. Beat eggs with treacle and 1–2 tbsp milk; add to bowl with 25 ml brandy. Mix to a soft dropping consistency with extra milk as needed.
- 5. Spoon into basin, level, cover, tie, and steam gently for 6 hours, topping up water.
- 6. Cool, replace covers, and feed 1–2 tbsp brandy weekly for 2–12 weeks.
- 7. Reheat by steaming 2 hours. Unmould, warm 30–60 ml brandy, flame, and serve with brandy butter or custard.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Classic British Christmas pudding with deep, treacly warmth and heaps of vine fruits.
- Make-ahead friendly: improves for weeks as you feed it with brandy.
- Steams to a moist, sliceable pudding that flames beautifully at the table.
- Serve two ways: melting brandy butter or silky vanilla-brandy custard.
Grocery List
- Produce: 1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 dessert apple
- Dairy: Unsalted butter, eggs, milk, double cream (if making custard)
- Pantry: Raisins, sultanas, currants, mixed candied peel, blanched almonds, shredded suet (beef or vegetarian), fresh white breadcrumbs, plain flour, soft dark brown sugar, black treacle, golden syrup, icing sugar, caster sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder (optional), mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, fine salt, brandy
Full Ingredients
For the Christmas Pudding (1.2 L/1.25 qt basin)
- Raisins: 175 g
- Sultanas: 175 g
- Currants: 150 g
- Mixed candied peel (finely chopped): 75 g
- Blanched almonds (roughly chopped): 75 g
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
- Fresh orange juice: 60 ml
- Brandy: 50 ml (for soaking) + 25 ml (in mixture)
- Shredded suet (beef or vegetarian): 125 g
- Fresh white breadcrumbs: 150 g
- Plain flour: 100 g
- Soft dark brown sugar: 175 g
- Ground mixed spice: 2 tsp
- Ground cinnamon: 1/2 tsp
- Freshly grated nutmeg: 1/4 tsp
- Ground cloves: 1/4 tsp
- Fine salt: 1/4 tsp
- Coarsely grated dessert apple (peeled, cored): 150 g
- Large eggs: 2
- Black treacle (molasses): 40 g (2 tbsp)
- Golden syrup (or honey): 20 g (1 tbsp, optional)
- Whole milk: 50–80 ml, as needed for a soft dropping consistency
- Baking powder: 1 tsp (optional; for a slightly lighter texture)
- Unsalted butter, for greasing
For Feeding and Flaming
- Brandy: 75–120 ml (feed 15–30 ml weekly; 30–60 ml to flame)
Brandy Butter (Optional, for Serving)
- Unsalted butter (soft): 150 g
- Icing sugar (powdered sugar, sifted): 200 g
- Brandy: 45–60 ml (to taste)
- Vanilla extract: 1 tsp (optional)
- Fine salt: small pinch
- Finely grated orange zest: 1/2 tsp (optional)
Vanilla-Brandy Custard (Optional, for Serving)
- Whole milk: 400 ml
- Double cream (heavy cream): 200 ml
- Egg yolks: 4 large
- Caster sugar (superfine): 60 g
- Vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla pod (seeds): 1 tsp
- Brandy: 1–2 tbsp (15–30 ml), to taste
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Soak the fruit
In a large bowl, combine the raisins, sultanas, currants, mixed peel, chopped almonds, orange zest, lemon zest, orange juice, and 50 ml brandy. Stir well, cover, and leave to soak for at least 12 hours (overnight) at cool room temperature, stirring once or twice so everything absorbs the liquid evenly.
Step 2: Prep the basin and steaming setup
Grease a 1.2 L/1.25 qt pudding basin with butter and line the base with a circle of parchment. Cut a large piece of parchment and a piece of foil, both big enough to cover the basin with a 2–3 cm pleat down the center (to allow for expansion). Place parchment on top of foil. Have kitchen string ready. Put a trivet or upturned heatproof saucer in the base of a deep pot with a tight-fitting lid and fill with hot water to come halfway up the sides of the basin once it’s inside.
Step 3: Combine the dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the suet, breadcrumbs, plain flour, brown sugar, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and baking powder (if using). Add the grated apple and the entire bowl of soaked fruit (and any remaining soaking liquid). Toss until the fruit is evenly distributed.
Step 4: Mix in the wet ingredients
In a jug, beat the eggs with the black treacle, golden syrup (if using), and 25 ml brandy. Pour into the dry mixture and stir. Add milk a little at a time until you have a soft dropping consistency—when a spoonful drops slowly but readily from the spoon. The mixture will be thick and generously studded with fruit.
Step 5: Fill, cover, and secure
Spoon the mixture into the prepared basin, level the top, and cover with the pleated parchment-foil (parchment side down). Tie tightly with string under the lip of the basin, then loop a second length of string to form a handle for lifting.
Step 6: Steam low and slow (6 hours)
Lower the basin onto the trivet. The water should come halfway up the sides; top up with hot water if needed. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover the pot, and steam for 6 hours. Maintain a steady, gentle simmer and check every 30–45 minutes, topping up with more hot water to keep the level constant. Do not let it boil dry; a low, even simmer yields a moist pudding.
Step 7: Cool, feed, and mature
Lift out the pudding and let rest 10 minutes. Remove the coverings, replace with fresh parchment and foil once the steam subsides, and cool completely. Store in a cool, dark place (or the fridge in warm climates). Once a week for 2–12 weeks, uncover briefly and spoon 15–30 ml brandy over the top to feed, allowing it to soak in before re-covering. The flavor deepens as it matures.
Step 8: Reheat, flame, and serve
On the day, steam the covered pudding for 2 hours to reheat. Unmould onto a warmed serving plate. Warm 30–60 ml brandy in a small saucepan just until steaming (do not boil), pour over the pudding, and carefully light with a long match. Let the blue flame dance and subside. Serve thick slices with a generous spoon of brandy butter or warm vanilla-brandy custard.
Pro Tips
- Consistency check: the mixture should be soft but not runny. Add a splash more milk if it seems dry; add a spoon of breadcrumbs if overly wet.
- No suet? Freeze 125 g butter and coarsely grate it. Toss with 1 tbsp flour and use in place of suet.
- Water management: mark your pot’s waterline at the correct height at the start; top up with kettle-hot water to keep the simmer consistent.
- Clean release: after reheating, rest 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edge and invert onto a warm plate.
- Safety flaming: warm the brandy first, turn off extractor fans, dim the lights if you like the effect, and keep a lid nearby to smother the flame if needed.
Variations
- Nut-free: omit almonds and increase raisins by 50 g plus 25 g extra breadcrumbs for body.
- Little puddings: divide into six 200 ml basins and steam for 2 hours initially; reheat 45 minutes.
- Spirited stout: replace 60 ml of the milk with dark stout for a deeper, malty note (keep the brandy for feeding and flaming).
Storage & Make-Ahead
Store the cooled, covered pudding in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months, feeding weekly with brandy during the first 2–6 weeks. Refrigerate in warm climates. Once served, leftovers keep 1 week in the fridge or up to 3 months frozen (wrap well). Brandy butter keeps 2 weeks refrigerated; bring to room temperature and beat briefly before serving. Custard is best fresh but can be chilled up to 2 days; reheat gently, stirring, until just steaming—do not boil.
Nutrition (per serving)
Approximate (pudding only, 1/10): 430 kcal; fat 15 g (sat 8 g); carbs 66 g; sugars 46 g; protein 6 g; fiber 4 g; sodium 220 mg. Add ~110–150 kcal per serving if using brandy butter.
