Christmas pudding with brandy butter

Method

1. Put the dried fruits, peel, apple, zest, milk and brandy in a large bowl and mix together. Leave to soak in a cool place for a few hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, toast the nuts under a preheated grill for 1-2 minutes, until golden – watch them as they’re easy to burn! Set aside to cool.
3. Sift the flour, spices and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl. Melt the butter and pour over the soaked fruit. Stir in the hazelnuts, panettone crumbs, eggs, sugar and spiced flour.
4. Grease and base line a 1.5-litre pudding basin. Tip in the pudding mixture and level the surface, so you have a 1.5cm gap at the top. Lay a circle of baking paper on top of a circle of foil (both should be larger than the top of the pudding basin), butter the baking paper side and make a pleat down the centre of both. Put buttered-side down on the pudding, and secure with string – tie this around the rim, loop over and tie at the other side to make a handle.
5. Put an upturned saucer in a deep saucepan. Sit the pudding basin on top and fill the pan with boiling water to come halfway up the basin. Cover, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and steam for 5 hours, keeping the water topped up during this time. Test the pudding with a skewer – it should come out clean. Cool slightly in the basin, then turn out and cool completely. Wrap in baking paper, then double-wrap in foil and keep in a cool dark place.

To reheat on Christmas day:

1. Cook the pudding in the same way as above (steps 4-5) but for 1 hour, until piping hot.
2. Meanwhile, cream together the butter and muscovado sugar. Gradually beat in the brandy. Chill for 30 minutes.
3. Turn the pudding out onto a plate, dust with icing sugar and decorate with fresh juniper berries and bay leaves or a holly sprig. To flame the pudding, see the Christmas cook’s guide in the Know How section.