Christmas Pudding - New Year's pudding

I must just share this recipe. Perhaps you are still looking for a dessert for your New Year's day celebration dinner? Did you decide on a non traditional dessert on Christmas day and now regret it?
Well its not too late, you don't have to wait another year- all thanks to the Nan of Jamie Oliver!

This year my son had to prepare dessert for Christmas dinner. He was out on a limb cooking for the family of his girlfriend. He wanted to stay traditional with a Christmas pudding. I told him he was way too late deciding just a week before Christmas to make Christmas pudding. How wrong I was...
He had a helping hand in the kitchen- no other than Jamie Oliver.
My son was planning on making this pudding without a trial run on Christmas eve, how laid back is that? I convinced him to make the pudding a few days before Christmas, so we could approve it.(any kitchen activity in this house by others than myself has to be encouraged, since this is not a frequent occurence!) He halved the ingredients and it and knocked it up in no time. Of course, the only hassle is it needs to steam for three hours!
Jamie Oliver Says: "My Nan spent years perfecting this pudding recipe. It's quick, simple, tasty and it's not too heavy so you can eat more. I love it!"
He does admit to tweaking her recipe though! (don’t tell her!) According to Jamie you can make it the week before or the day before. An idiot can make it......No comment...!
It's the breadcrumbs that keep it light. While a traditional pudding is dense, dark, and heavy like a brick.....as Jamie so eloquently puts it, this one is much lighter and more popular with kids! One downside of the breadcrumbs is the colour, which is also light. It disturbed me but it did taste good. I did miss the nuts though, I'm just a nutty person. In addition, I would spice it up a bit!



The DVD JAMIE'S CHRISTMAS is a great help in planning Christmas dinner, with lots of tips, ideas, a Christmas countdown, and even a shopping list. Also recipe cards for smoked salmon and watercress salad, classic pork and chestnut stuffing, creamed corn, roast spicy squash, pigs in blankets, mashed veg, roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary and parsnips with thyme and honey, my favourite turkey, cranberry sauce, veg with flavoured butters (sugar snap peas with parsley, garlic and lemon butter. Purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy and rosemary butter. Brussel sprouts with bacon, sage and chestnut butter. Carrots with thyme, cumin and orange butter) the best mince pies and my Nan's Christmas pudding. I would recommend it, I actually have a copy over (a double present) still sealed, interested? 5euro.
The only thing is my son now wants a cheesy jumper just like the one Jamie Oliver got for Christmas! Any knitters out there?

The photographs taken are while using half the ingredients. The impressive part of a Christmas pudding is during the flaming. Heat your brandy (or other liquor) over a flame in a metal soup ladle. Pour carefully over the pudding, normally it begins to ignite itself otherwise help it with a match. Enjoy!

My Nan's Christmas pudding
serves 8 to 10 people
1 teaspoon softened butter, for greasing
1 large egg
150ml of milk
400g dried sultanas and raisins
100g dried cherries and cranberries
125g suet or butter
125g plain flour
125g golden caster sugar
125g breadcrumbs
125 dates, chopped up
2 tablespoons of brandy
a pinch of salt
zest of 1 orange
3 pieces stem ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger



Firstly rub 1.5 litre pudding bowl with butter.
In a separate bowl beat the egg and milk together and put to one side.
In a third bowl, mix all the other ingredients together.
Pour the egg and milk mixture into this bowl and stir or mix with your hands until everything is combined.
Spoon this mixture into the greased pudding bowl and cover with a layer of buttered greaseproof paper followed by a double layer of aluminium foil.
Tie these layers in place around the rim of the bowl using a piece of string. (we didn’t bother)
Place the pudding bowl in a large saucepan and put cold water in the pan until it comes half way up the side of the bowl.
Bring the water to the boil then cover with a lid and simmer for 3 hours.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Don’t forget to check the water regularly making sure that it doesn’t boil dry or the pan will burn and the bowl will crack.
When serving the pudding simply remove the cloth or the foil and turn it out on a plate.
Serve with brandy butter or nice thick custard.



It was a big hit with the girlfriend’s family.
This year I celebrated Christmas with a good friend. We had a lovely traditional English dinner,2 in 1 turkey AND roast beef! On Boxing day I cooked for my family. My Christmas 2011 menu: A salad with rolled ham with date and goat’s cheese stuffing decorated with a quail’s egg mango dressing and balsamic vinegar. Homemade beetroot and carrot crisps. Red onion and balsamic relish.
Roast sage chicken, roast butternut squash with red onion and fennel, roast potatoes and parsnips, cranberry sauce, Brussel sprouts with sage and orange, sage and onion stuffing, sausage and bacon rolls, cranberry sauce with orange and thyme.
Christmas pudding, with custard. Fruit with meringue and poached pear.