Forgotten Honey In Christmas Pudding

Our answer

Nigella's Ultimate Christmas Pudding has become a Christmas staple for many people as it is light and moist, rather than stodgy and heavy. The pudding is sweetened with dried fruits, dark brown sugar and a little honey. The honey is an invert sugar and helps to keep the pudding moist, as well as improving the keeping qualities slightly.

However if you have forgotten to add the honey we suspect that the pudding will still be fine to eat. Steaming is a very gentle method of cooking, so the pudding should not dry out on the second steaming. But make sure that the basin is well-sealed and maybe wrap a fresh layer of foil tightly around the pudding before the second steaming. If you are worried you could also feed the pudding with a little alcohol between now and Christmas. Remove any wrapping and lid from the pudding, poke a few holes in the top of the pudding with a skewer and drizzle over some extra sherry (or you could use brandy or another alcohol of your choice). Put a circle of greaseproof or parchment paper over the surface of the pudding and re-seal and re-wrap the basin, then leave it until you are ready to steam the pudding. If you are intending to keep the pudding for longer than 6 weeks then we would suggest freezing it. It will keep in the freezer for up to 1 year.