The further in advance you make your Christmas pud the better because the flavours develop and become richer and deeper with age. However, there’s no need to panic if you’re not that organised, as a few easy shortcuts (like we used here) can still save the day.
This is a dish where quality ingredients really make a difference. Don’t use old packets of dried fruit and expect it to taste incredible. Splash out on top-quality dried fruit and citrus peel, like we did here. Using premium liquor, and plenty of it, also goes a long way, as does best quality unsalted butter and dark muscovado sugar.
Soak your fruit for as long as possible, at least overnight like in this recipe, ideally a few days. Rum and brandy are traditional but you could also try sherry. Don’t soak your fruit in a metal bowl as this can taint the flavour; use a Tupperware container or a ceramic or plastic bowl covered in plastic wrap.
Place a lucky coin in the centre of your pudding before cooking it. Traditionally, the person who finds it is thought to receive a year of good luck. Just be sure to sterilise the coin first and warn eaters in advance so no-one breaks a tooth!
To allow enough room for the pudding to expand while it’s cooking, it’s important that you make a pleat in the centre of the paper and the foil – this includes mini puddings, too. To prevent water from getting into the mixture, which would make the pudding soggy, make sure you secure the foil with string and fold the foil back over the string.
After you have steamed and cooled your pudding, replace the foil with a freshly buttered piece to keep it moist and store in a cool, dark place, or the fridge, until you are ready to reheat it on Christmas day.
Add a sprig of holly, miniature Christmas ornaments or candied orange slices on top, like we did here, decorate with Christmas shapes made from marzipan, or tie festive ribbon all around the pudding’s edges.
There are many delicious accompaniments to your pudding. These include homemade (we love the brandy-vanilla custard in this recipe) or store-bought custard, ice cream, brandy butter, eggnog cream, hard sauce and lemon butter. Or, flame the turned out pudding with brandy or other liqueur for dramatic effect.
Christmas Day only hours away and you still haven’t made a start on your Christmas pudding? Don’t stress, just cheat it! This twist on Christmas pudding mixes store-bought pudding with chocolate ice-cream and almonds to create the ultimate last-minute festive dessert.
