Old fashioned Christmas pudding
A dark, fruity, spiced pudding steamed for hours until rich and moist, ready to flame at the table.
- Time7 hr
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £1.13 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Mix the dried fruit, peel, apple, orange zest and juice and the 45 ml brandy in a large bowl. Cover and leave overnight if you can.
60 min - 2
Butter a 1.2 litre pudding basin. Add the breadcrumbs, flour, suet, sugar and spices to the fruit and mix well.
- 3
Stir in the eggs and stout until you have a soft dropping consistency. Everyone in the house gets a stir and a wish.
- 4
Spoon into the basin, leaving a 2 cm gap at the top. Cover with a pleat of baking paper and foil, tie tightly with string and make a string handle.
- 5
Place on an upturned saucer in a large pan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up the basin. Cover and steam for 5 hours, topping up with boiling water.
300 min - 6
Cool, re-wrap and store somewhere cool and dark. On the day, steam for a further 2 hours.
120 min - 7
Turn out onto a hot plate. Warm the 3 tbsp brandy, light it and pour it flaming over the pudding. Serve with custard or brandy butter.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
