The Royal Mint Christmas Pudding & Stir-Up Sunday

Name: The Royal Mint Christmas Pudding & Stir-Up Sunday
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 4 h 3 min
Total time: 4 h 33 min
Yield: 8 - 10
Ingredients: 170 g sultanas; 140 g currants; 140 g raisins; 200 ml water; 30 g plain flour; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg; 1/2 tsp ground mace; 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 55 g breadcrumbs; 85 g shredded suet (vegetable fine); 40 g dark chocolate; 1 cooking apple; 85 g soft dark brown sugar; 20 g chopped mixed peel; 55 g blanched almonds; 1 lemon; 1 orange; 1 tbsp black treacle; 3 tbsp brandy; 1 egg; 1 knob of butter for greasing

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5.0

39 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
4 hrs 33 mins
Servings
8 - 10
Course
Dessert
Cuisine
British

The Royal Mint Christmas Pudding & Stir-Up Sunday

Katherine Stark

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A traditional Christmas Pudding that will keep the tradition of Stir-Up Sunday alive!

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Ingredients

Servings

170 g sultanas
140 g currants
140 g raisins
200 ml water
30 g plain flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp ground ginger
55 g breadcrumbs
85 g shredded suet (vegetable fine) if you cannot get hold of suet, softened butter works just as well
40 g dark chocolate 70%, grated
1 cooking apple peeled and grated
85 g soft dark brown sugar
20 g chopped mixed peel
55 g blanched almonds roughly chopped
1 lemon zested
1 orange zested
1 tbsp black treacle
3 tbsp brandy
1 egg beaten
1 knob of butter for greasing

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Instructions

Put the sultanas, currants and raisins in a saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil, and simmer for three minutes. Leave to soak, uncovered, overnight.
Sift the flour and spices into a mixing bowl.
Add the breadcrumbs, suet or butter, grated chocolate, grated apple, brown sugar, mixed peel, almonds, lemon and orange zest.
Mix well, using your hands to get rid of any lumps of butter and ensuring the mixture is fully blended together.
Stir in the soaked fruit, which will have plumped-up overnight. Next, stir in the treacle, brandy and beaten egg.
Mix well, and stand overnight. While this isn’t necessary, the marinating helps the spices soak in. Before you’re ready to cook, stir in the Royal Mint Six Pence. It’s traditional for everyone to give the pudding a turn with a wooden spoon at this stage, and make a wish.
Use the knob of butter to grease the pudding bowl, and tip the Christmas pudding mixture into it.
Cut one circle of greaseproof paper, which is a few inches bigger than the rim of the bowl. Use a large elastic band to secure it over the pudding bowl with a folded pleat running through the middle. This will allow room for the pudding to release excess steam. Cover the top with a piece of tin foil (same size as the greaseproof paper) and then tie it tightly with the string.
Make a loop of string across the top, to fashion a handle, so the pudding can be easily lifted in and out of the pan.
If you are using a steaming pot, pour some water into the bottom of the stock pot – about one eighth full – so that the steamer basket sits in the bottom, just above the water level. Bring the water to the boil, and place the Christmas pudding in the basket.
If you don’t have a steamer basket, simply use the upturned saucer or ramekin so that the pudding basin is kept away from direct contact with the base of the pan. Then fill the stock pot with water to around half-way up the side of the pudding basin.
Put on the lid, and steam at a gentle simmer for four hours. Keep an eye on the water to make sure that the pan doesn’t boil dry, and add more water from the kettle to keep it topped-up if needed.
If the lid of the stock pot doesn’t fit on tightly, it’s not ideal, but not disastrous – as long as there’s plenty of steam circulating. Keep an even more careful eye on water levels though, as a loosely covered pot is more likely to boil dry.
Lift the pudding out of the pan after four hours, making sure you keep the greaseproof lid on – that way you can store the Christmas pudding for up to two months.
On Christmas Day, steam the pudding again for another two hours, and serve – perhaps with a sprig of holly on top, and a splash of brandy (and then light with a match).

Notes

WARNING: Risk of choking, please inform guests about the sixpence in the pudding when serving. Please sterilise the coin in boiling water before adding it to the pudding mixture or push the coin into the warm pudding before serving. DO NOT put pudding containing coins into a microwave oven.