Ingredients
unsalted butter, for greasing
500g mixed dried fruit, such as cranberries, cherries, apricots, sultanas, raisins
100g dates
3 tablespoons crystallised ginger
1 orange
125g suet
125g plain flour
125g caster sugar
150g fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Vin Santo or brandy
1 large free-range egg
150ml milk
golden syrup, to serve
Top Tip
For extra flavour and texture, add 1 handful of chopped nuts (such as pecans, Brazils or hazelnuts) with the other ingredients at step 3.
Method
- Grease a 1.5 litre pudding bowl.
- Destone and chop the dates, and roughly chop the ginger, then place in a large bowl.
- Finely grate in the orange zest, then mix all the remaining ingredients together, except for the golden syrup.
- Transfer the mixture to the greased bowl and cover with a double layer of tin foil. Tie a piece of string around the side of the bowl.
- Place the bowl in a large saucepan, and pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of the bowl.
- Bring to the boil, place a tight-fitting lid on the pan, and simmer for 3 hours – don’t forget to check the water regularly, making sure that it never boils dry, because if it does, it will burn and the bowl will crack.
- When the time's up, remove the foil, turn out on to a plate, drizzle with golden syrup and decorate it as you like. You can also light it with brandy if you want to be really fancy.
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