Stir Up Sunday - Nigella's pudding recipie and a lucky sixpence!

Stir Up Sunday is traditionally the day when Christmas puddings should be made, in order to give them enough time to mature before Christmas. It’s a day to bring the whole family together, as it is tradition on Stir-Up Sunday for every family member to take it in turns to stir the Christmas pudding mixture and make a wish. A sixpence is traditionally added to the mixture and cooked in the pudding – as it is said to bring luck and wealth to whoever finds the coin on their plate on Christmas day.

And I was lucky enough to win one of 2015 sixpence from the royal mint this year.  

To make our Christmas pudding I used Nigella's ultimate Christmas pudding recipee.  

• 150 grams sultanas

• 150 grams roughly chopped prunes

• 175 ml pedro ximenez sherry

• 100 grams plain flour

• 125 grams fresh breadcrumbs

• 150 grams suet (i used veggie suet)

• 150 grams dark brown muscovado sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• grated zest of 1 lemon

• 3 large eggs

• 1 medium cooking apple (peeled and grated)

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 150 grams currants

1. Put the currants, sultanas and scissored prunes into a bowl with the Pedro Ximénez, swill the bowl a bit, then cover with clingfilm and leave to steep overnight or for up to 1 week.

1. When the fruits have had their steeping time, put a large pan of water on to boil, or heat some water in a conventional steamer, and butter your heatproof plastic pudding basin (or basins), remembering to grease the lid, too.

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the remaining pudding ingredients (except the vodka), either in the traditional manner or just any old how; your chosen method of stirring, and who does it, probably won’t affect the outcome of your wishes or your Christmas.

1. Add the steeped fruits, scraping in every last drop of liquor with a rubber spatula, and mix to combine thoroughly, then fold in cola-cleaned six-pence!

1. Ask every house hold member to have a stir and make a wish!

1. Scrape and press the mixture into the prepared pudding basin, squish it down and put on the lid. Then wrap with a layer of foil (probably not necessary, but I do it as I once had a lid-popping and water-entering experience when steaming a pudding) so that the basin is watertight, then either put the basin in the pan of boiling water (to come halfway up the basin) or in the top of a lidded steamer (this size of basin happens to fit perfectly in the top of my all-purpose pot) and steam for 5 hours, checking every now and again that the water hasn’t bubbled away.

1. When it’s had its 5 hours, remove gingerly (you don’t want to burn yourself) and, when manageable, unwrap the foil, and put the pudding in its basin somewhere out of the way in the kitchen.  

we made 3X1 litre Christmas puddings.