Christmas Pudding

I'm not posting my pudding recipe here - some things are best kept secret!

However, for your viewing pleasure, some steps from the process of making a steamed Christmas pudding.

This year I used the pressure cooker, but a slow cooker or normal stockpot work just as well.

Step 1: Boozy Dried Fruit and Breadcrumbs

Tip: Make sure all the fruit is cut to a similar size for an even texture. And you have to make the breadcrumbs from an unsliced loaf of plain white bread. Nothing fancy!

Step 2: Steam

Tip: Really large puddings need a long time to cook. If you're cooking for lots of people, consider making smaller puddings in dariole moulds. These took 40 minutes to cook in the pressure cooker. If I remember correctly, they took nearly 2 hours in the slow cooker on HIGH.

Step 3: Do not open until Christmas!

Tip: Pudding is better when it's had a couple of weeks in the fridge for the flavours to develop. These little gems reheat perfectly in the microwave.

Pudding is much easier to make than a Christmas fruitcake, so it's a good recipe to try if you want to make something traditional but don't trust your baking skills.