Fabulous finale

Delightfully sweet recipes for the perfect finish to your Christmas feast

TIP

Make the pudding on Stir-up Sunday which lands on 22 November this year and simply reheat on Christmas Day.

Pear, ginger and walnut pudding

Serves 8

You’ll love our nutty twist on this classic.

You will need

150g mixed dried fruit

100ml brandy

50g chopped walnuts

200g grated pear (about 2 pears)

100g pack candied peel

50g stem ginger, roughly chopped

Zest and juice of 1 orange

3 eggs

100g shredded suet or grated fresh suet

½tbsp ground mixed spice

½tbsp ground ginger

125g dark muscovado sugar

125g breadcrumbs

90g plain flour

For the topping

40g walnut halves, plus extra to decorate

½tbsp brandy, plus extra to flame

1 ½tbsp ginger syrup from the stem ginger jar

Edible gold leaf, to decorate (optional)

You will also need

1.25 ltr pudding basin

How to do it

1 Place the dried fruit in a large, nonmetallic bowl, pour over the brandy, stir well and cover with clingfilm. If you have time, leave for 2-3 days, stirring occasionally.

2 To prepare the pudding basins, cut out 2 circles of greaseproof paper the size of the top of each basin. Make a cut in the centre of each to allow the pudding to expand, and set aside. Add the remaining pudding ingredients to the fruit and brandy mix, and combine well.