Cloth Bound Christmas Pudding

Our answer

Unfortunately we have not tried to make a cloth-bound version of Nigella's Ultimate Christmas Pudding (from Christmas and on the Nigella website) so cannot guarantee if this will work or not. However there are some general guidelines to cooking the pudding in a cloth rather than as basin. First you need to use a good medium weight calico and buy a piece that is too large as the cloth will shrink during the cooking process. The calico needs to be soaked overnight in cold water and then boiled in a large saucepan of water for several mintes to remove any chemicals that may be in the material from the manufacturing process.

Once the cloth has been drained and is cool enough to handle, lay it out flat and dust generously with plain (all-purpose) flour. Pile the pudding mixture into the centre then bring the corners of the cloth together and tie just above the pudding mixture, allowing some room for the pudding to expand as it cooks. The pudding should be fully submerged in a large saucepan of simmering water and cooked for the recommended time. After cooking, hang the pudding in a cool, dry place (with a bucket underneath to catch drips) until the calico is dry (about 2 days). The pudding can then be stored in a cool, dry place until its second cooking (again in a saucepan of simmering water) on Christmas Day.