Christmas Pudding

Sift the flour with the baking powder. Add the breadcrumbs, suet, ground almonds, muscovado sugar and spices. The prunes and carrots should be minced together through a medium mincer and then added to the mix together with the currants, sultanas, raisins, mixed peel, apples and lemon and orange zest. Beat the eggs and add to the mix the orange and lemon juice, rum, treacle, golden syrup and stout. The pudding ingredients can now be totally mixed together; you should have about 3 kg (7 lb) in weight. This mix should have a loose consistency; it feels too dry then simply add a little more stout. Cover and keep in a cool place for 24 hours to a week; if its still bland, add more spices and rum. Butter and lightly flour 3 x 900 grams (2 lb) pudding basins. Fill three-quarters full with the mix and top with a circle of lightly greased greaseproof paper. The pudding basins can now be covered with parchment paper, leaving a fold in the paper. These should now be steamed for 4 hours, topping up with boiling water as necessary. Once cooked, leave to cool before chilling, or store in a cool, dark place. The puddings will simply mature, becoming more tasty as the time goes on. If they take up too much space in your fridge, keep them well sealed in a cool place. To serve the puddings on The Day, they will need to be steamed for a minimum 1 hour to bring them back to a tender pudding texture.