4 Servings

Ingredients

• 750g sultanas (1.5lbs)
• 500g raisins 1lbs
• 250g dried cranberries
• 125g mixed citrus peel, chopped
• 125g glace cherries, halved
• 125g dates, chopped
• 125g glace ginger, chopped
• ½ cup rum
• 250g butter
• 250g brown sugar
• 5 eggs
• ½ cup plum jam
• 250 plain flour
• 1 ½ cups white breadcrumbs
• ½ teaspoon allspice

Steps

• Combine prepared fruits in a large bowl with rum. Cover and let stand for at least 24 hours.
• Beat butter and sugar until creamy, adding one egg at a time along with plum jam. Fold in sifted flour, breadcrumbs and allspice. Stir in prepared fruit and turn out onto the centre of a large, damp, flour dusted cloth square calico, 1m x 1m.
• Tie pudding securely with string and lower into a large saucepan of rapidly boiling water and boil with the lid on for 6 hours. Hang pudding until cold, then refrigerate.
• On the day of serving, lower pudding into a large saucepan of boiling water and allow to boil for two more hours. This final boiling is essential as it allows for easy removal of the cloth.

For the Toffee Glaze 

• Place 250g sugar, 6 tbsp water and 2 tsp liquid glucose in a saucepan and stir over gentle heat until dissolved.
• Boil rapidly for approximately 8 minutes, until mixture becomes golden.
• Remove from heat, gently stir 375 mixed nuts and glazed cherries and drizzle over hot pudding.
• Serve in wedges accompanied by a brandy sauce or custard.