Christmas pudding: A stout tradition worth setting fire to

Christmas pudding is the perfect thing to make on Stir-up Sunday, which is tomorrow. Love it or loathe it, it is a seasonal staple, and one that I prepare and gift every year. The great thing about Christmas pudding is that you can make it weeks ahead of the big day and forget about it – one less thing to worry about for your Christmas table.

It also matures and gets better with age. Just keep it in a cool, dark place – a cupboard is perfect. Delia Smith has been known to store hers under the bed and feed it with brandy in the weeks running up to Christmas. I skip this step, as there is a decent amount of alcohol in it to start with and I pour brandy on top and flame it at the table right before serving.

My Christmas pudding is a very old recipe, with a few tweaks added over the years to get it just right. Technically this isn’t a bake, as it is steamed, like proper pudding should be. There are some lovely ingredients in this recipe, such as Guinness, Irish apple brandy, spices and marmalade; they all have their place and add to the richness of the pudding.

I add a few slices of clementine and arrange them with a spoon or two of marmalade at the bottom of the pudding bowl before piling in the fruity pudding mix. Once steamed, the clementines become jammy and soft and meld into the pudding, creating a beautiful citrus crown once turned out.

Clementine and stout Christmas pudding

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I make a batch of mincemeat along with my Christmas pudding. It is a cinch to make and stores well. All of the ingredients are simmered gently for a few minutes in a saucepan to allow those Christmassy flavours to mingle. I use a mix of currants, raisins, sultanas, mixed peel and dried cranberries, with a few flaked almonds thrown in for crunch.

I also use apple brandy in this, with either a splash of Cointreau or orange juice, to plump up the fruit and give a beautiful shine. Keep the mincemeat in a sterilised jar in the fridge and use for classic mince pies or swirl through brownies, pancakes or ice-cream.

Recipe: Clementine and stout Christmas pudding

Recipe: Classic mincemeat