- Mince together the chopped mixed peel, flaked almonds and crystallised ginger (if you are using it).
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Beat the eggs together in a bowl and stir in the brandy and the citrus juices.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Blend together with either a wooden spoon or a clean hand. To be honest, the hand technique seems more effective if messier.
- Add Guinness until you have a soft dropping consistency.
- Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave the mixture to soak overnight. By the next day the consistency will be thick and fairly firm.
- Pour into a well-greased 2lb / 900g pudding basin (use dairy-free spread for this). Cover the top of the mixture with a greased piece of greaseproof paper and make a foil covering for the basin. Tie string firmly round the basin and across the top to make a handle.
- Put the basin into a roasting tin with about 2-3" / 5-7.5cm water in the tin. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 10 hours at Gas Mark 1 / 140°C / 275°F. Check the water level at intervals and top up as necessary.
- The pudding will need a further 4 hours' steaming exactly as before on the day you wish to eat it.
You can make this pudding up to about three weeks before Christmas. It goes superbly with Christmas White Sauce, or with a dollop of whipped double cream and a sprinkle of icing sugar for those members of the family who cannot bear to be deprived of their dairy intake.
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