Rosemary Shrager’s Classic Christmas Pudding

Put the eggs, rum, orange juice, Madeira and treacle in a bowl and whisk together.

Put all the other ingredients in a very large bowl and stir well.

Add the egg mixture and stir again.

Cover with cling film and chill overnight.

The next day, place the chilled mixture into a buttered 1.2 litre pudding basin.

Cover and steam over a gentle heat for 6 hours.

Set aside until cold, then re-wrap the pudding in fresh greaseproof paper and foil.

Store in a cool place (not the fridge) for as long as possible (at least 2 weeks).

To serve, steam for a further 2 hours.