It’s become a tradition now – for the last 8 years a lovely friend and I have made our Christmas Puddings together.  Usually we do it sometime in November but this year today is the day!  We make them using an easy, basic recipe from the Weekly Times 1964.  And it’s a tradition that has stood the test of many things – babies, living overseas and chemo but so far we haven’t missed a year! So here’s to many more puddings.

The recipe is below – we think it’s really yummy (even if half of my family won’t eat it!)

CHRISTMAS PUDDING (Weekly Times 1964)

• 250g butter
• 250g light brown sugar
• 5 eggs
• 185g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 375g raisins
• 250g sultanas
• 185g currants
• 60g dates (chopped)
• 60g almonds
• 185g soft bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons brandy

Cream butter and sugar with a wooden spoon (note: we use an electric hand mixer but I’m guessing they didn’t have those in 1964)  Add eggs one at a time.  Add 1/2 sifted flour/spice/bicarb soda, then 1/2 fruit mix, then 1/2 flour/soda/spice and then 1/2 fruit mix.  Add brandy and bread crumbs.  Boil cloth for 20 minutes.  Use tongs to squeeze out excess water.  Thinly flour cloth before adding pudding mix. Tie up leaving loop to hang later and enough room to expand.  Add slowly to boiling water.  Top up with water as needed (careful not to add directly onto pudding).  Steadily boil for 5 hours.  Hang to cool and then place in fridge. (We attach ours to a wooden spoon that sits across the saucepan so that pudding hangs in water and dosen’t touch the bottom of pan).

Boil for 1 hour to serve hot.  Serve with brandy butter, cream and custard.