Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a traditional Christmas Pudding and learning how to make Christmas pudding can make your holiday dinner a hit with your family and friends.

There is an old English tradition, not widely practiced today, that calls for a silver threpence or sixpence to be included in the recipe of this pudding, and the person who gets the coin in their serving is supposed to have financial luck for the following year. Though, if bitten, the silver sixpence would probably call for very expensive dental treatment, so the recipient would need financial luck to pay for it.

Other tokens have been known to be included, like a tiny wishbone (to bring good luck), a silver thimble (for thriftiness), or an anchor (symbolising safe travel). Many traditions surround this festive dish.

This rich, fruity and heavy pudding contains dried fruits, suet and often alcohol, and is fairly straightforward to prepare. It may be served flambe and then coated with a brandy sauce for extra "richness."

The fruits you include are your preference, however raisins, sultanas, currants, dates and glacé cherries are traditional. The suet used can be of vegetable origin if you are health conscious and brandy is the most widely used alcohol in which to soak your dried fruits, before combining all of the ingredients prior to cooking.

All of this should be done at least a month before you are going to serve this pudding. The longer is rests the better.

• 50g (1 1/4oz) currants
• 75g (2 1/2oz) sultanas
• 230g (8oz) raisins
• 50g (1 3/4oz) glacé cherries
• 5g (1/2oz) flaked almonds
• 100ml (3 1/2fl oz) brandy
• Zest of one orange
• Zest of one lemon
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 an orange
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 50g (1 3/4oz) suet
• 30g (1oz) wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 50g (1 3/4oz) plain white flour
• 90g (3oz) light brown sugar
• 2g (1/2tsp) mixed spice
• 1g (1/4tsp) each of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground cloves
• 5g (1tsp) salt
• 2 medium eggs, beaten

Preparing Christmas Pudding Ingredients In Advance:

Some preparation of ingredients needs to be done 24 hours before you are going to cook the pudding. The day before cooking, place all the dried fruits and flaked almonds in a bowl. Pour the brandy over the ingredients and add the lemon and orange zest and juice. Lightly mix together, cover with plastic film and leave to soak overnight.

Mixing the Remaining Ingredients:

1. Place the remaining ingredients and your pre-soaked fruit in a large mixing bowl. Stir lightly with a wooden spoon, avoid breaking up the fruit. Place a small circle of baking paper on the base of a 1 1/2pt pudding basin and then spoon in the mixture.
2. Smooth the over the top. Place another, larger circle of baking paper on the top. Cover the pudding basin with foil and seal tightly.

1. Stand the basin on a strip of foil long enough to make a handle (this will assist in lifting it out of the pan once it has steamed). Place the basin on top of a trivet in a high sided pan. Pour hot water into the pan, ensuring that it comes only halfway up the pudding basin.
2. Place a lid on the pan and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat and keep at a steady simmer. Steam for 5 hours. Check the water level during cooking and top up if necessary.
3. Remove the pudding from the pan and allow it to cool completely. Remove the foil. Wrap the basin, with contents, in a piece of greaseproof paper and a layer of foil. Store in a cool, dark place for at least 1 month to mature. The longer the better.
4. On Christmas Day, steam the pudding for 2 hours in a pan of water, as above, warm some brandy, in a ladle, over a flame, until it ignites and pour over the pudding to flambé.
5. Serve with a butter sauce, brandy sauce or fresh cream.