Plum pudding with Pedro Ximenez butter

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients together very thoroughly and leave overnight; don’t forget, everyone in the family must stir and make a wish! Next day stir again for good measure.

2. Fill into pudding bowls; if plastic wet the lids, cover with a double thickness of greaseproof paper which has been pleated in the centre, and tie it tightly under the rim with cotton twine, making a twine handle also for ease of lifting.

3. Steam in a covered saucepan of boiling water for 6 hours or less depending on size. The water should come half way up the side of the bowl. Check every hour or so and top up with boiling water if necessary. After five hours, three hours, two hours depending on the size, remove the pudding. Allow to get cold and re-cover with fresh greaseproof paper. Store in a cool dry place until required.

4. On Christmas Day or whenever you wish to serve the plum pudding, steam for a further two hours. Turn the plum pudding out of the bowl onto a very hot serving plate, pour over some whiskey or brandy and ignite. Serve immediately on very hot plates with Pedro Ximinez butter or the more traditional brandy butter if you prefer. You might like to decorate the plum pudding with a sprig of holly; but take care not to set the holly on fire — as well as the pudding! Pedro Ximenez is sweet, rich and deeply concentrated; I use it to drizzle over vanilla ice-cream, soak raisins until they are fat and plump or just to sip. Serve with plum pudding or minced pies. Cream the butter until very light, add the icing sugar and beat again. Then beat in the sherry, drop by drop. If you have a food processor, use it: you will get a wonderfully light and fluffy Pedro Ximenez Butter.