Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
..and how celeb chefs do it
HESTON BLUMENTHAL
Shoppers went wild for Heston’s pud with an orange hidden in the middle when it first went on sale at Waitrose 10 years ago. Heston uses cider and Spanish sherry and hides a whole candied clementine in the centre .
EDD KIMBER
Bake Off winner Edd's recipe is lighter than the traditional one and, instead of custard or brandy butter, he tops it with chocolate sauce. With some candied clementines to finish, it makes a great centrepiece on the table.
GORDON RAMSAY
Chef Ramsay’s light, steamed Christmas pudding does what it says on the tin. The only fruit in his recipe is orange range zest. He also uses a dash of Irish cream liqueur. Yum. um. doesn’t use suet, which is hard fat from beef and mutton. She says: “I prefer the flavour of butter to suet in mincemeat – which makes it suitable for vegetarians.”
JAMIE OLIVER
We h have Jamie’s nan to tha thank for his recipe, made wit with Italian dessert wine Vin Santo, and served with golde golden syrup.
NIGELLA LAWSON
For Nigella, the key ingredient is the sherry. She opts for Pedro Ximenez.
DELIA SMITH
Delia uses stout in her recipe and the best thing is, you can drink what is left over. She also suggests: “Add it to my Beef in Designer Beer recipe to give it a beautiful, rich sauce.”
JAMES MARTIN
He uses figs and cherries as well as apricots, sultanas and currants to make it extra fruity.
THE QUEEN
Last year, Prince George gave a hand with the Christmas pud and the family revealed their age-old secret recipe. It’s quite classic, as one might expect, but they also use poppy seeds. If it’s good enough for the royals…