Ingredients
- 1⅔ cups (310 g) mixed dried fruit
- ¼ cup (45 g) mixed peel
- 4 cups (640 g) mixed raisins, sultanas and currants
- ½ cup (125 ml) brown ale
- 2 tablespoons rum or brandy
- 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 225 g suet, grated
- 1⅓ cups (245 g) soft brown sugar
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2½ cups (200 g) fresh white breadcrumbs
- ¾ cup (90 g) self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ⅔ cup (100 g) blanched almonds, chopped
Method
1. Finely chop the dried fruit. Put in a bowl with the peel, raisins, sultanas, currants, ale, rum, rind and juice. Cover and leave overnight.
2. Mix the fruit with the remaining ingredients and a pinch of salt. Leave for 10 minutes.
3. Cut an 80 cm square from a piece of calico, place in a large saucepan of boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove and wring out well. Cover the pan and keep at a simmer. Spread out the calico and cover with a generous, even layer of plain flour, using about ¼ cup (60 g), leaving a border around the edge. (This forms a seal and prevents the pudding absorbing water.) You will need to flour-coat enough calico so that the pudding mixture can be completely enclosed by the floured area. Spoon the pudding mixture into the centre of the cloth. Bring the points of the cloth together over the top and gather in the excess material, keeping the pleats as small and neat as possible. Pat into a nice round shape. Leave a small amount of room at the top for expansion, and tie tightly with string so there is no gap where water can get into the pudding. Tie another length of string around the top, long enough to tie to the handles on either side of the saucepan to suspend the pudding. If your pan doesn't have suitable handles, suspend a wooden spoon across the top and tie the string to that. Carefully lower the pudding into the simmering water. The pudding should float, without touching the bottom. Tie the string tautly across the pan to the handles. Cover, weigh down the lid if possible, and boil the pudding for 5 hours. Replenish with boiling water when necessary, ensuring that the water remains at a constant, low boil.
4. Remove the pudding from the water and hang in a well-ventilated, dry place where it will not touch anything. Hook up the calico ends or open up and place loosely on top of the pudding. Leave hanging overnight to dry.
5. Untie the cloth and, if there are damp areas at the top, spread it out until dry. When it is dry, re-wrap and tie with a new piece of string. The pudding will store, hanging, in a cool, dry place for up to 4 months. To serve, boil for 2 hours then hang for 15 minutes. Remove from the cloth and cut into wedges.
