Pentillie’s Christmas Pudding Recipe

Homemade Pentillie Christmas Pudding.

Inspired by Peter Doyle’s own incredible pudding recipe!

Ingredients

• 2.6kg mixed good fruit inc prunes, raisins, sultanas, currants, dates and ginger

• 1 green apple grated

• 2 lemons, zested

• 1 orange, zested and juiced

• Brandy / rum

• 250g plain flour

• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 500g butter

• 500g brown sugar (dark)

• 1 tsp mixed spice

• 1 tsp nutmeg

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 2 tbs treacle

• 9 eggs

• 4 cups fresh breadcrumbs (use a coffee cup to measure these out)

Method

1. Prepare the day before by combining the mixed fruit, green apple and lemons in a large bowl and add approx. 2 cups of brandy/rum. Stir well to combine.

2. The next day, sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt together, set aside.

3. Cream butter well, add sugar and continue to beat until pale.

4. Add spices, beat well.

5. Add treacle, beat well to combine.

6. Add eggs 1 by 1, adding 2tbs of the flour mixture in between each egg to reduce risk of curdling.

7. Transfer mixture to large bowl of fruit mixture, add remaining flour and breadcrumbs. Stir to combine.

8. Grease 3 to 5 pudding basins (dependant on size) line bottom with a circle of baking paper. This recipe will make 5 medium sized puddings (one for you, one for the neighbours, one for your in-laws, one for the school raffle and one for emergency stormy February Sunday pudding (or next year!), or 24 individual puddings.

9. Divide mix among basins and top each with another circle of baking paper.

10. Cover each basin with 2 layers of pleated foil held in place with strong elastic bands (or string).

11. You need to cook the puddings before you can store them, so you may need to do this in batches – unless you have a steam setting on your oven… Place puddings on trivets in large saucepan of boiling water to come half way up the pudding basins. Steam for 3-5 hours. 3 hours for medium sized pudding basins.

12. To store puddings, cool completely, before labelling with the date and popping in the back of a cool dry cupboard until Christmas Day.

13. To reheat the pudding, steam for half the cooking time (or microwave for a few minutes!).

14. Serve with brandy butter, custard, clotted cream, double cream, ice-cream or all of the aforementioned!

 Merry Christmas!