Clootie pudding

This is rich fruit pudding a bit like a Christmas pudding but not, it is a classic Scottish dessert. Excellent on a cold winters night when you have been out all day in the cold . You can get next to an open fire and have some pudding with clotted cream and a good malt whisky. What you will need is a god clean tea towel pillow case or piece of muslin to cook this.

You will need

225g (8oz) plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

¼tsp sea salt

175g/6oz caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling

100g/4oz shredded suet

100g/4oz sultanas

75g/3oz currants

75g/3oz chopped stoned dates

50g/2oz Muscatel raisins

1 apple or carrot, coarsely grated

1 tbsp black treacle

1 medium egg

150ml/5fl oz buttermilk

225g/8oz clotted cream

Apart from how you cook this it is very much like any pudding really of its kind. Start by sifting the flour, bicarbonate of soda in to a bowl Then add the spices, salt , sugar, suet, dried fruits, and the grated carrot or apple. Now mix this all together.

Now mix the black treacle with the egg and the buttermilk and add that to the mix of dry ingredients. With a spoon mix that till you have a  cake-like dropping consistency.

Take the cloth that you are going to cook the pudding in and dip it into boiling water. Take it out after a few moments and squeeze out any excess water then spread it out on a clean surface.  Now sprinkle a thin layer of flour in the centre, avoid any big lumps, then spoon pudding mixture on top.

Now you have to tie the cloth up around the mix securely with string. Do not tie it to tight or your pudding will burst out as it expands and cooks. Now put some thing in the bottom of a large pan to stop the pudding touching the bottom of the pan and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Place the pudding in the pan knot side upwards and pour in enough water almost to cover the pudding. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for 3-4 hours on a very low heat. Check that the water level does not go down to far so that the pudding keeps covers and top up if necessary.

Finally preheat your oven to 180c/350f. Take the pudding out of the pan of water and  dip it quickly into cold water. This helps to stop the pudding sticking to the cloth that you have cooked it in. Now remove the cloth and pop the pudding on an ovenproof plate. Put this in the oven and now back fro about 15 to 20 minutes until the outside of the pudding has gone dry.

Now take it out, cut in to wedges, and serve with cream, clotted cream and a glass of whisky.