This is a 1968 recipe, based off many older recipes. I retrieved it from “Marguerite Pattens Every Day Cookbook“, which you can buy from Amazon.com second hand. See * substitutions below.

1lb raisins*

12oz sultanas*

12oz currants*

4oz chopped candied peel*

2oz blanched almonds*

2oz flour

3.5 tsp spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc)

8oz sugar

8oz fresh white breadcrumbs

grated rind 1 lemon

4oz shredded suet (or freeze and grate 1 stick butter)

4 eggs

1/2 pint whisky OR Old Ale OR Imperial Stout OR milk OR orange juice

Mix together all the dried fruit, peel, and almonds. Sieve flour and spices together then add to the fruit mixture along with the sugar, breadcrumbs, rind, and suet (grated butter). Beat eggs and then blend with the 1/2 pint of wet stuff. Stir** the egg/alcohol mixture to incorporate into the dry ingredients.

Put batter into a pudding basin (or split among several smaller basins), cover with greaseproof paper and foil, then steam for 4 to 8 hours depending on size of pudding basin. After steaming, uncover and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover with fresh greaseproof paper and foil and store in a cool, dry place until Christmas day. Steam for 3 hours to warm through, serve with hard sauce or brandy butter. (You can also souse with heated liquor and then set fire to it at the table. Make sure you have a wet cloth to hand in case it goes wrong!)

* replace with any similar other dried fruit, such as craisins, cherries, blueberries, chopped apricots, or other such ingredients to allow for allergies and personal tastes. I replace all these ingredients with more dried fruit which works out great for us!

** British tradition is “Stir-Up Sunday”. Make the pudding on the first Sunday of Advent, and invite all members of the family to stir the mix at this point – it is supposed to bring luck for the coming year.