Christmas pudding with Grand Marnier

Method

1. Put all the dried fruit, nuts, cherries and peel into a large bowl. Add the zests, orange juice, breadcrumbs, spice, sugar, Grand Marnier and milk. Mix well, cover and leave overnight.
2. The next day, mix in the remaining ingredients well. Butter either 2 x 1-litre pudding basins or 10 x 175ml pudding basins. Fill a good three-quarters full with the mixture. Cover with a double layer of buttered, pleated, greaseproof paper. Tie string around the rim.
3. For the large puddings: put an upturned saucer inside a large saucepan and sit 1 pudding on top. Repeat for the other one. Pour boiling water into each pan to come halfway up the basins. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer for 5 hours, topping up with boiling water if necessary, until a skewer comes out clean. For the mini puddings: preheat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Place in a deep roasting tin and fill the tin with boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides. Cover the tin with foil and bake for 2 hours.
4. Decorate with holly and dust with icing sugar. This can be served with Grand Marnier butter.