Golden Christmas Pudding Recipe

450 g ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped
450 g sultanas (golden raisins)
175 g chopped mixed (candied) peel
350 g chopped mixed nuts

Finely grated rind and juice of 2 oranges

Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

225 g light brown sugar
5 ml/1 tsp ground mace
225 g fresh white breadcrumbs
50 g plain (all-purpose) flour

100 g shredded (chopped) vegetable suet
4 eggs, beaten
30 ml/2 tbsp apricot or orange liqueur

Butter, for greasing

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Grease two 1.2 liters pudding basins and line the bases with a circle of greased greaseproof (waxed) paper. Spoon in the mixture and level the surfaces. Cover with a double thickness of greaseproof (waxed) paper, then foil, twisting and folding under the rim. Steam for 5 hours. Leave to cool, then re-wrap in clean greaseproof paper and foil. Make up to 2 weeks before Christmas. Store in a cool, dark place. Steam for a further 3 hours on the day.