Don't Forget to Start Making That Perfect Traditional Christmas Pudding Now!

Look at the calendar. It's 10 November, Christmas Day for your pud is not that far away, and you haven't started yet? I say this kindly, but with some urgency: now is the moment!

A traditional Christmas pudding is one of the few things in the kitchen that genuinely improves if you leave it alone. Made today, it has weeks to mellow. The fruit settles into the spice, the suet and sugar deepen, and the whole thing turns dark, rich and far more interesting than anything made in a rush. Make it on 23 December and you'll get a perfectly pleasant pudding. Make it now and you'll get the real thing.

STIR-UP SUNDAY IS COMING

The old date for this job is Stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent. This year that's 22 November, so you have a fortnight. Use it. Do your shopping this week rather than the night before, because baking aisles get picked over once everyone has the same idea. If your shop is already looking thin on currants, mixed peel or suet, you have your answer. If it isn't, don't wait for it to be.

YOUR SHOPPING CHECKLIST

You'll need currants, raisins and sultanas, mixed peel, suet (beef or vegetable, both work), dark sugar, breadcrumbs, eggs, spices, citrus, and a good slug of booze. Add a pudding basin and some baking parchment and foil if you haven't got them. Check your basin is the right size for the recipe, because a basin that's too small is a miserable discovery at the mixing stage.

If the recipe asks you to soak the fruit, do it. Overnight is the minimum. It's what makes the finished pudding moist rather than dry and dusty.

GET THE STEAMING RIGHT

Steaming is long and unglamorous, and it can't be hurried. Keep the water topped up with boiling water from the kettle and never let the pan boil dry. Wrap the basin properly, with a pleat in the parchment and foil to allow for expansion, and tie it tightly. Follow the timings in the full method rather than guessing.

AGEING AND FEEDING

Once it's cooled, re-wrap it in fresh parchment and foil and keep it somewhere cool, dark and dry. A cupboard you don't use much is ideal. Every week or two you can unwrap it, prick the top with a skewer and spoon over a little brandy or rum, but don't drown it. A tablespoon is plenty. On the day, give it a good steam to heat it through before serving, and flame it if you're feeling theatrical.

GET THE FULL METHOD

When you're ready, find the full Traditional Christmas Pudding recipe on RecipeFiler, where you can save it to your own cookbook and add your own notes each year. That's useful, because you will forget what you changed by December next year.

Now, tweaks. I have strong feelings about this. Brandy and rum are both fine, so choose whichever you'll actually be happy to drink the rest of. Stem ginger adds a nice warm bite, and chopped nuts add some texture. Where do you stand? Do you swap the rum for brandy, throw in extra nuts or ginger, or stick strictly to the classic? Now go and buy your ingredients quick!