This is based on my dear Nan’s beautiful pudding recipe, which gives christmas desserts jamie oliver a much lighter result than a traditional Christmas pud. The cost per serving below is generated by Whisk.

5 litre pudding bowl with butter. Destone your dates, then, by hand or in a food processor, finely chop the flesh with the apricots, pecans, ginger and rosemary leaves. Place it all in a mixing bowl with the cranberries, raisins, suet, flour, breadcrumbs and milk. Crack in the egg, finely grate in the clementine zest, squeeze in the juice and mix it all together really well.

Tip the mixture into the greased bowl and cover with a single layer of greaseproof paper and a double layer of tin foil. Tie a piece of string around the bowl to secure them in place and make it watertight, then sit it in a large, deep saucepan and pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of the bowl. Bring the water to the boil, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, and reduce to a simmer for 4 hours. Check the water regularly, and keep topping it up with boiling water, if needed. When the time’s up, lift out the bowl, remove the foil and paper, then carefully turn the pudding out on to a plate ready to serve, or leave to cool and reheat just before you need it. Present it to your guests and sing some Christmassy songs, then when the flame subsides drizzle with golden syrup.

Serve with cream, custard or even ice cream. Cold leftovers are delicious with a slice of British cheese, such as Lancashire, or in a Christmas sundae. Then make sure you carefully store your beautiful Christmas pudding, so you don’t run the risk of it going mouldy. Once you’ve steamed and totally cooled it, replace the greaseproof paper and tin foil with a fresh set and seal it super tightly, so it’s airtight. Then store it in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to reheat it on Christmas Day.

NOTE: A hot steamy kitchen is not ideal! Four to six weeks ahead of the big day is a good time to make your Christmas pudding, then store it in a cool, dry place. This allows the flavours to enhance perfectly in time for reheating on December 25th. Can you over-steam a Christmas pudding? While the pudding won’t dry out if it’s steamed for too long, some of the ingredients inside may be spoiled by being overcooked. Can I use butter instead of suet in Christmas pudding?