Professional reference formula

Yield: one 1.2 litre pudding, about 10 portions.

This formula is external professional evidence.

  • 500 g mixed dried fruit
  • 100 g candied peel
  • 150 g breadcrumbs
  • 100 g plain flour
  • 150 g dark brown sugar
  • 150 g suet or grated cold butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 150 ml stout or milk
  • 50 ml brandy
  • Apple or carrot, citrus zest and mixed spice, to taste

Method

  • Mix fruit, peel, sugar, fat, breadcrumbs, flour, spice and zest evenly.
  • Add eggs and liquids; rest covered under refrigeration if the source workflow calls for hydration.
  • Pack into a buttered basin, leaving expansion space; cover securely with pleated parchment and foil.
  • Steam gently for 5–6 hours, maintaining the water level; cool promptly and store appropriately.
  • Re-steam until piping hot throughout before service; flame with warmed spirit only with appropriate fire controls.

Professional identity

Christmas pudding is a dense British steamed dried-fruit pudding, usually made ahead and reheated for service. It is not a baked fruitcake; steaming, basin form and reheating are central production characteristics.

Critical controls

  • Keep the basin sealed against condensation.
  • Maintain a gentle continuous steam and replenish with boiling water.
  • Treat maturation as a controlled storage choice, not a safety guarantee.
  • Reheat fully before service.

Evidence status

external_evidence; no Tanya-specific practice is implied.