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This warming winter pudding is a tasty treat with lots of lovely deep, spicy flavours. The addition of Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout adds to the complexity of flavour of this very grown up pudding. Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout is an almost opaque, wonderfully silky and smooth textured ale with a complex medium dry palate and a bittersweet finish.

Ingredients

  • 500g / 1lb mixed dried fruit
  • 100g / 3.5 oz stoned dates or prunes, chopped
  • 100g / 3.5 oz stem ginger, drained and chopped, plus 2 tbsp of the syrup
  • zest and juice of 2 oranges
  • 225ml / 8 fl oz Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout
  • butter for greasing
  • 50g / 1.8 oz whole almonds, roughly chopped
  • 200g / 7 oz suet
  • 2 eating apples, grated
  • 100g / 3.5 oz dark muscovado sugar
  • 5 tbsp black treacle
  • 100g / 3.5 oz self-raising flour
  • 85g / 3 oz soft white breadcrumb
  • 100g / 3.5 oz ground almond
  • 1 tbsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • 3 large eggs

Method

  1. Mix together the dried fruit, ginger, orange zest and juice, and Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout in a bowl.
  2. Cover and leave to soak overnight.
  3. Grease 2 x 1.2-litre pudding basins. Boil a kettle of water. To prepare your steamers, put a snug-fitting upturned bowl or plate in the base of 2 large, deep saucepans, big enough to hold the pudding basins.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients (except brandy) to the fruit mixture and stir well, making sure the flour is completely mixed in.
  5. Divide the mixture between the two prepared basins and cover with buttered baking parchment and a foil lid.
  6. Tie with string to secure and make a handle for easy lifting.
  7. Stand the puddings on the upturned bowls or plates in the saucepans. Pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the basins, cover with a tight-fitting lid and steam for 6 hours, topping up with water if necessary. If the lids start to rattle as the puddings cook, place a couple of heavy cans on top to hold them down.
  8. Once cooked, the puddings can mature for up to 1 year in a cool dark place, if desired.
  9. To heat up, either microwave for 4 minutes on high or steam in a steamer for 30 minutes.
  10. Serve warm with custard.

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