Page 58 of Christmas at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry

‘Any other traditions or memories of Christmas pudding making from the group?’ asked Ruth.

‘Well, we always put a sixpence in the mix,’ said Daniel. ‘My ma made a lovely pudding.’

‘Yes, we did that! It was considered lucky for whoever found it. We do that still, but it’s a pound coin nowadays,’ added Brenda.

‘Hah, we used to do that, back in the day when I was little,’ said Jill with a chuckle, ‘That was until Auntie Hilda choked on it one year. If it wasn’t for Uncle Henry and his Heimlich manoeuvre, it might have been a very unlucky sixpence indeed! We never put them in after that!’

‘Ooh, well we’ll have to be careful. Don’t want any trips to A & E over Christmas,’ said Brenda, pulling a worried face.

‘Right, shall we make a start and I’ll tell you all the ingredients I have here?’ Granny proceeded with her best Mary Berry impression. All the fruit items were listed and tipped into the big bowl, with a generous splash of whisky and the juice and finely grated rind of an orange no less. The mixing bowl was then passed around the table for ‘stirring up’. Everyone took a turn, and it was a lovely tradition to be following to make the first ever Pudding Club Christmas Pudding.

There was a conversation about which other alcohols might be used in the mix, the favourite being brandy, with the group interested in tasting how the whisky and orange combination would turn out.

‘Well, generally, I like to give these puddings a good few weeks to stand to really enhance all the flavours, but I do have those samples I made last week for you to try in a minute, so it’ll give you a good idea on the taste.’

Jill, in the meanwhile, had beaten the butter, sugar, eggs and flour together, and then the fruit mix was added to that, for another stirring session. The smells wafting from the bowl were delicious.

‘Just the aroma says Christmas, doesn’t it,’ said Ruth, sniffing the air.

‘This is like “pass the pudding” – I love it,’ smiled Alice, who looked very happy within the group, which was heart-warming for Rachel to see.

‘Now then, I have my pudding basin ready, greased lightly, with a circle of baking parchment in the bottom, so it doesn’t stick.’ Granny Ruth took up again. ‘Spoon the mixture in, like so, and cover with more greaseproof or baking paper and a layer of foil and then tie that on securely with string.’

‘Oh, and my top tip at this point,’ added Jill, ‘is to make a strip of folded foil that you put under the basin, like so, and bring up around the sides so you can use it as a handle to lift the pudding in and out with.’

‘Genius, Jill,’ Daniel grinned.

‘So, this’ll need to steam for around … Oh excuse me.’ Ruth was then rattled by her tickly cough for a short while. She moved politely away from the group, as Rachel got her a seat and a glass of water.

‘Just bear with us a second,’ said Jill.

‘No worries at all,’ said Brenda, speaking for the group.

They all chatted between themselves for a minute or two, until Ruth came back over, with her apologies. ‘So, you’ll need to steam the pudding for around three hours. Leave to cool, and it’ll keep in a fridge or a cool place for up to four weeks, or you can freeze ahead.’

‘That’s a great recipe, thank you.’

‘Oh, hang on, I haven’t quite finished yet, there’s a walnut sauce to make to go with it.’ Ruth went through the method for this, with a nip of whisky, orange juice and cranberries, as well as the delightful walnuts. It all turned into a syrupy sauce, which Jill warmed on the stove in the kitchen area behind the counter. ‘This is my own personal tweak, and makes a great topping for the pudding.’

Granny had one of the puds she’d made earlier warming through in another pan. She carefully turned that out to great effect on to a white dish, adding a hearty drizzle of the nutty, fruity sauce, and fresh holly leaves to decorate.

The crowd gave a round of applause.

‘Wonderful, Ruth,’ said Jill.

‘Thank you, Granny, it looks and smells amazing,’ said Rachel. ‘Are you okay, now?’ she added as an aside.

‘Of course, pet. Just that silly cough. I’m fine now.’

Spoons and dessert bowls were at the ready for the moment of truth – the tasting. Ruth was holding her breath.

‘The proof of the pudding, Granny!’ said Rachel, as they were all about to dive in.

There was a second or two of silence, and then lots of ‘Mmms’ followed by ‘Divine.’ ‘Love the rich fruit and spice flavours.’ And a comment from Charlotte, ‘Ahh, I’m in pudding heaven right now.’

Ruth grinned widely, looking somewhat relieved. ‘Thank you, and thanks for being such a lovely audience.’

‘You were a superstar, Granny. I reckon the BBC will soon be on the case looking for a new baking queen.’ Rachel grinned.