Christmas pudding

My version of a delicious Christmas pudding. Nothing fancy using cheap ingredients

To make 3 large puddings

2 bags of smartprice (Asda) mixed fruit

1 bag of smartprice (Asda) raisins

1 bottle of guiness or this year I used Old peculiar

The juice and rind of a lemon and an orange

A good slush of brandy

240g dark brown sugar

360g butter

3 eggs

180g white breadcrumbs

240g plain flour

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of black treacle

Start the night before by soaking the fruit. Pile it all into a big bowl, add the rind and juice of a lemon and an orange, pour the guiness and brandy in. Add the black treacle. Stir every now and again to mix thoroughly. By morning you will have plump fruit and no liquid.

In the morning.

Cream the butter and sugar together, I do this in my food processor. Add the eggs.

Measure out the flour and spices. Add the flour, breadcrumbs and spices to the fruit and then add the butter, sugar and egg mix to the fruit. Stir thoroughly. Pile into greased pudding basins. I usually put a round of greaseproof paper at the bottom of each pudding basic. Then put a circle of greaseproof and a circle of foil (with a pleat in) over the top of the puddings and tie tightly with string. Put into a slow cooker with water half way up the basins and cook on high for 6 hours (this depends on your slow cooker, you might have to keep checking by sticking a skewer into the middle of the pudding. It needs to come out clean and be piping hot). You really can't overcook a pudding in the slow cooker. Leave to cool for a while and then turnout. Wrap in greaseproof and foil and store somewhere cool until Christmas. I usually put mine in the garage. To reheat I just use my slow cooker again. Reheat for about 3-4 hours.