Best of the best Christmas pudding - delicious. magazine

Ingredients

• 150g raisins
• 150g sultanas
• 100g currants
• 60g dried apricots, roughly chopped
• 110g soft prunes, pitted and halved
• 60g glacé cherries
• 140ml brown ale
• 1 banana (ideally brown)
• Grated zest and juice 1 orange
• 170g plain flour
• 85g soft brown sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp allspice
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 85g brioche, whizzed into breadcrumbs
• 110g beef suet
• 2 medium free-range eggs
• For the brandy butter
• 150g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
• 150g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp brandy, plus extra to set the pudding alight
• Specialist kit
• 1.5 litre pudding basin
• Butcher’s string