Luxury Christmas Pudding

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup currants
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup golden raisins
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ⅔ cup white breadcrumbs
• ⅓ cup chopped almonds
• ¼ cup glace cherries, halved
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• ½ cup self-rising flour
• 1 tsp mixed spice or pumpkin spice
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp brandy

Instructions

1. 1
   You will need a 1.5-quart metal mixing bowl greased with a buttered square of foil in the base.
2. 2
   Measure all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix together. Add all liquid ingredients and mix in gently until combined.
3. 3
   Fill a mixing bowl, press surface with a spoon. Cover with disc of parchment paper. Cut a disc of foil about 2 inches larger than the mixing bowl. Fold a pleat in the center of the foil and fit onto the top of the bowl to form a lid. Tightly secure the edges by twisting the foil around the lip.
4. 4
   Sit a metal jam jar lid into the base of a large saucepan and sit the metal mixing bowl on top. Fill with water until it comes halfway up the bowl. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid, lower the heat until just simmering and cook for about 7 hours or until the pudding is risen and cooked in the center. Top up the water if necessary.
5. 5
   To serve remove the pudding from the saucepan and cool completely. With a fine skewer make holes in the pudding and pour in more brandy to feed. Discard the foil, replace with baking paper and store in cool place.
6. 6
   On Christmas day to reheat, return the metal mixing bowl to the pan, fill with water, bring to boil, and simmer on the stovetop for about an hour to heat through.
7. 7
   Turn onto a plate (with a lip) pour over brandy, light with a match to flame and serve.