Ingredients

Method

You will need a 2 pint (1.2 litre) pudding basin or if you would like 2 smaller puddings use 2 x 1 pint pudding basins (570ml)

Add all the dried fruits ( sultanas, raisins and currants into a large bowl and soak with the guinness and the rum for at least 2 hours. Then add all the other dry ingredients into the bowl with the dried fruit and mix thoroughly. Beat the 2 eggs in a small bowl and fold through the mixture making sure all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly. Cover with cling film and leave overnight.

Next day pack the mixture into a lightly greased pudding basin, cover it with a double sheet of greaseproof paper making a pleat in the top of the paper. Cover with a sheet of foil and secure the sheets with string around the rim of the basin. It is also good to make a handle out of the string across the top of the basin as this will help when lifting the pudding out of the steamer.

Place the pudding in the steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water and steam the pudding for 8 hours. You may need to top up the water from time to time so keep checking the water level. When the 8 hours are up, remove the pudding from the steamer and allow to cool completely before removing the greaseproof and the foil.

Rewrap the pudding in fresh greaseproof or foil and store in a dark, cool place until Christmas Day.

On Christmas Day place the pudding back in the Pudding Basin and place the greaseproof paper and foil over the top again with the handle and place in the steamer over a saucepan of boiling water for 2 hours and 15 minutes. check the saucepan now and again as you may need to top up the water in the saucepan. Or you can slice the pudding into individual slices and microwave the slices covered with cling film for 30 seconds each.