Christmas pudding

This year Edward is going to eat/throw his first Christmas dinner and I am very excited about this, so to ensure he can participate fully in the Christmas traditions I am making a sugar free Christmas pudding. Although I know that the ingredients below cost a lot more than a shop bought pudding I think I'm getting just as much enjoyment from making the pudding as I will serving it and eating it!

Here are the instructions.

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

• 100g/3½oz raisins
  

• 100g/3½oz currants
  

• 50g/2oz sultanas
  

• 50g/2oz prunes, chopped

• 50g/2oz apricots chopped
  

• 25g/¾oz fresh or dried mixed peel

• 50g/2oz flaked almonds
  

• 150g/5oz fresh pear, puréed in a food processor, with the skin on

• 1 level teaspoon each of ground ginger and cinnamon

• ½ level teaspoon ground mace
  

• 25g/1oz vegetable or meat suet

Wet ingredients

• 2 eggs
  

• 150ml/5fl oz of apple or pear juice

For the flour

• 100g plain flour
  

Preparation method

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. Beat the eggs (if you are using them) with the juice and brandy if you are using it and stir it into the dry mixture.

3. Sieve the flours together with the baking powder (if you are using it instead of the eggs).

4. Fold the flour very thoroughly into the fruit.

5. Spoon the mixture into a pudding basin, cover with doubled greaseproof paper and tie with a string or rubber bands.

6. Put the basin in a deep pan, pour in water to halfway up the bowl, cover the pan tightly and simmer for 4-5 hours, checking the water level periodically.

7. Remove basin from the pot, discard the greaseproof paper and cover it with new. Allow to cool, then store in a cool larder.

8. To serve, re-steam for 1-2 hours or reheat in a microwave for 3-5 minutes.

Unfortunately I've left it too late to cook it today, as it needs simmering for 4-5 hours, but I intend to cook it first thing tomorrow morning so I will let you know how it goes!