A wonderful Christmas pudding recipe, with a surprise ingredient

It's 'Stir-up Sunday' this weekend, and there are any number of recipes out there to help you make a beautiful pudding for Christmas Day.

But for those who can't tolerate eggs, it's a little harder. This recipe solves that problem; it was first published by Country Life almost a decade ago, having been handed down through the generations to one of our contributors.

It's just as good today as it's ever been - regardless of whether you have an egg allergy or not!

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My grandmother had to adapt her traditional Christmas pudding recipe to create this one, as my uncle was allergic to eggs. Her unbeatable version of the seasonal pud is light and moist—and the key ingredient is the grated carrot.

The Ingredients

½ pound breadcrumbs ½ pound raisins 1tsp ground ginger 1tsp salt 1tsp mixed spice ¼ pound suet 2tbsp milk ¼ pound brown sugar ¼ pound lemon or mixed peel 4½oz golden syrup 4oz grated carrot 2tbsp brandy or rum

The Method

Prepare the fruit and chop the peel. Grate the carrot. Mix the spice, salt and ground ginger and the breadcrumbs together in a bowl. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix.

Warm the milk in a saucepan and dissolve the syrup in it. Add the spirit and mix it in thoroughly, and then add the mixed dry ingredients.

Fill two greased pudding basins to the brim with the mixture and cover them with grease-proof paper. Put the basins in a double boiler and steam for eight hours.

Once done, remove and store in a fridge or larder. On Christmas Day, steam the pudding in the basins in the double boiler again for three hours before serving.

Best served with double cream, brandy cream or brandy butter—or all of the above!