1. Put dried fruit, Guinness, rum, orange zest and juice into a large non-metallic mixing bowl. Cover and leave to soak overnight at room temperature.
2. Lightly butter a 1 litre (1¾pint) pudding basin and line the base with a disc of baking parchment. Put a 35.5cm (14in) square of baking parchment on top of a square of foil of the same size, and butter the parchment. Fold a 4cm (11/2in) pleat across the centre and set aside.
What to read next
3. Add vegetarian suet, sugar, golden syrup, flour to soaked fruit along with spices. Add beaten egg and breadcrumbs. Stir well until combined. Spoon mixture into prepared basin, pushing down well and levelling surface.
4. Put pleated foil and parchment square (foil-side up) on top of the basin and smooth down to cover. Using a long piece of string, tie tightly under the lip of the basin and loop over again and tie securely to make a handle. Cut off the excess foil and parchment, and fold to neaten.
5. To cook, put a heat-proof saucer in base of a large, deep pan. Lower in prepared pudding and pour in enough water to come half-way up sides of basin. Try not to get water on top of pudding. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, then bring water to boil, turn down the heat and simmer gently for 4½hr, topping up water as necessary. Carefully remove from pan using tongs. Cool completely.
6. When cool, wrap entire basin (still with foil lid) tightly in cling film and another layer of foil. Store in a cool, dark place for up to two months.
Use your skills to make these triple-tested recipes:
GH Christmas pudding 2013 recipe
10 of the best vegetarian Christmas recipes
Christmas leftover recipe ideas
White ceramic bistro plate, Sophie Conran. Classic glass bowl (1 / 2 litre), Classic glass measure jug (1 litre), Impressions ceramic ramekins, Pyrex. Twin Pure Steel multi grater, Twin Pure Steel soup ladle, Zwilling J.A. Henckels. Montreux casserole (9 litres, 24cm), Kuhn Rikon UK. Polished Thermosystem kettle (1.8 litre), Magimix UK. Serving bowl, small white bowl, small white plate, wooden spoon, kitchen scissors, tongs, chef's own.
A crack team of highly skilled food content producers, the GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time.
