Nana Moon's Christmas Pudding

This is Christmas in a basin, a proper old-fashioned British steamed pudding dense with brandy-soaked raisins, sultanas, and currants. It’s the kind of family recipe, passed down from a Nana, that anchors the whole holiday table.

The first step happens the night before: the suet, flour, sugar, breadcrumbs, and a mountain of dried fruit get doused in brandy and left to stand overnight. That soak plumps the fruit and lets the brandy work its way into everything, which is where the deep, boozy flavor comes from.

Then it’s a long, patient steam of four hours, which gives the pudding its signature dark, moist, almost cake-meets-fruit texture.

The best part is that you make it ahead. Steam it now, tuck it away (the brandy keeps it), then re-steam it for a couple of hours on the day. To serve, turn it out, douse it in flaming brandy at the table for a bit of Christmas drama, and pass the brandy butter.

Chef Tips

• Soak the fruit and dry ingredients in brandy overnight. This step is what gives the pudding its rich, mellow flavor.
• Cover the basins well with paper and foil so no steam water seeps into the pudding.
• Keep the steaming water topped up so the pots don’t boil dry over the long cook.
• Make it weeks ahead. The pudding matures and improves with age before its final re-steam.

Variations

• Add chopped almonds, mixed peel, or grated apple to the fruit.
• Stir in warm spice like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice for extra fragrance.
• Swap the brandy for rum or stout, and feed the pudding with a little extra spirit as it matures.