Stir Up Sunday!

Welcome to December. For me, it's the month that conjures up so many memories of when I was a child, gives me a warm and cozy feeling and brings ideas to awaken all of my senses.

Stir-up Sunday fell on 22nd November this year. However, I made my Christmas Puddings the next day! There is a lovely recipe in the latest issue of 'delicious' which was an old 'Great Granny's Christmas Puddings' of a lady who was featured. I haven't made my puddings for some years and as I am feeling particularly nostalgic and a little more organised this year, I decided to do so.

It's not too late if you would like to make them. The mixture made 7 different sizes - finishing with a small one to taste!

Great Granny's Christmas Puddings

Dry ingredients -

300g fresh white breadcrumbs
100g self raising flour
1 teasp mixed spice
1 teasp ground cinnamon
1/2 whole nutmeg, very finely grated
350g raisins
100g mixed peel
50g flaked almonds
250g suet
225g demerara sugar
225g sultanas
225g currants
2 carrots, peeled and very finely grated
2 cooking apples, peeled and very finely grated

Wet ingredients -

Zest and juice of 1 orange
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 small wine glass of brandy
2 tbsp black treacle
4eggs, lightly beaten.

First, I gathered all of the dry ingredients...

... grated the spices...

Measured the fruits and placed them into a very large bowl.

Adding the suet, flaked almonds and sugar...

Then I grated the zest of the orange and lemon...

... squeezed the juices and added them to the mixture.

In went the grated carrots...

...and grated apples.

I beat the eggs lightly and stirred into the mixture...

...along with the treacle......and the brandy....by which time the smells were intoxicating!

...and no....*grins*...I don't drink alcohol - I just use it for a preservative in cooking.
Now for the fun bit. Tradition has it, that you stir with a wooden spoon from East to West, giving the mixture a thorough stirring.

Then cover with a damp tea towel and leave overnight for the flavours to infuse.

Next day, spoon mixture into pudding basins...

...cover with a piece of greaseproof paper...

...then a layer of foil on top of that...
...and tie with a piece of string to secure the wrappings - leaving a loop to lift the scalding basin out without burning yourself.
Steam each pudding (depending on the size basin you use), for about 6 hours.

This is a small pudding - reserved for tasting! Yum!

Place a clean piece of greaseproof paper over the basin and another sheet of foil. It keeps it fresh until Christmas....or whenever you choose to eat it. Steam each pudding again for about 2 hours. Happy eating.

I did change the ingredients myself slightly. For instance, I used wholemeal breadcrumbs and not white. I omitted the mixed peel and added an extra amount of fruit and the packet of beef suet is 200 gms, which is all I put in. The proof of the pudding was in the eating and it was very moist, fruity and delicious. I don't think I shall be buying any more store bought puddings.

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.