WineDown's Christmas Pud

Directions

Well, no one could be more surprised than WineDown to hear that there was genuine interest in this antique Christmas Pudding recipe! But it’s the season for giving, so here it is - a seriously old recipe that has been made in WineDown’s family for generations. It isn’t a fast cook, but it’s easy to put-together, delicious to eat, and incredibly rewarding to make… 

TIP: Read the Tips - you’ll thank me.

TIPS

• Don’t even think about starting until you have bought a piece of calico for your pudding cloth. (Store-bought pud cloths are fine - but can be small. Better (and cheaper!) to purchase calico by the metre at your favourite fabric store.)  
• Don’t be stingy when cutting your cloth – it’s better to waste a few cms than to discover it isn’t big enough. Anything around 80+ cm square should do the trick.
• Once cut to size, you will need to soak, then boil your cloth in a pan of water to remove the dressing (starchy stuff), then rinse well. (In any case, the cloth needs to be wet when you’re ready to use it, so just pop it on the stove top while you compile the pudding.) Easy peasy.
• Don’t forget to buy a loaf of white bread a few days before you want to make the pudding. Makes it MUCH easier to handle. 
• You’ll need a big boiler or stockpot, because it’s a big pud and it needs to be completely submerged for cooking.
• Have the water on the boil before you lower the pudding in.

Method

Get yourself an enormous mixing bowl. Start at the top of the ingredients list, and simply work your way down the list, mixing through as you go. Told you it was easy. The dried fruit ratios can be altered to taste: don’t love raisins? Add extra currants to balance. You can also add other dark fruits that you might have in the cupboard: figs, dates, prunes, etc. Still delish.

The Cloth

Cool the boiled cloth and wring out excess water. Lay the cloth on a flat surface & sprinkle liberally with flour. Then, holding the corners of the cloth, sort of shake it around so that the flour coats the cloth (it’s important to do this, as the flour will form the skin of the pudding, and stop it from adhering to the cloth). Shake excess flour away.

Drape the cloth over a colander, and spoon the pudding batter in. Then gather the cloth up firmly and tie with string. The cloth will form natural pleats around the pudding which allows for some expansion. (expansion is minimal, so the cloth mustn’t be loose).

When it’s firmly tied, lower your pudding into the already boiling water. Don’t have the pot any more than half full at this stage as when you lower the pud in, the level will rise considerably (thank-you, Archimedes). But do have a kettle boiling so that if the level of the water is too low, you can top it up immediately (the pud needs to be covered).

The Wait

Pour yourself a decent drink – if you haven’t already – and turn on the cricket. Boil the pud for 6 hours, topping up the water from time to time to ensure it remains covered. When done, remove from the pot, and place in a colander until cool. Your pud will keep for several months. In cool climates, it can be kept in a cupboard; in steamy Australia, it’s best to store your pud in the fridge (otherwise, you can expect to find some pretty (yet harmless) moulds appearing on the cloth).

The Payoff

On the day of serving, boil again for 1 hour, then remove from the pot, and carefully peel away the cloth. Invert onto serving plate. At first, your pud may look scarily like an exposed brain. But allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes, and it will darken up and look gorgeous. For the full show-off experience, heat some brandy in a pan, pour over the pud and ignite.  

Serve your pud with brandy custard (literally, stir some brandy into shop bought custard – it’s a thrillingly good cheat), and/or ice cream. Then try to look surprised as the compliments fly.  

Serves at least 12 people at lunch, with plenty left for Boxing Day and beyond!