Sunday November 22nd is officially ‘Stir Up Sunday’. A tradition that dates back to the Victorian times when families come together to make their Christmas puddings – each taking a stir and making a wish. 

The clever people down at chase distillery have come up with a fantastic recipe in honour of 'Stir Up Sunday. Whislt we might not be able to have the whole family around to help this year - that's no reason not to gather your household and make a wish (god knows we could do with one) 

Equipment
A 2pt. pudding basin, baking parchment, foil, string and a steamer. 

Ingredients
70ml Chase Seville Marmalade Gin
120g Shredded suet
50g Candied orange peel
30g Almonds
1 Small cooking apple (fresh from our orchard), finely chopped
Zest of one large orange
75ml fresh orange juice
2 Large free-range eggs
50g Self-raising flour
100g Brown breadcrumbs
1 tsp Mixed Spice
1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger
230g Soft dark brown sugar
250g Sultanas
250g Raisins

Method
1. Start by thoroughly mixing the breadcrumbs, sugar, suet and spices together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in the raisins, sultanas, orange peel and almonds along with the chopped apple and orange zest. 

2. Measure in the gin and orange juice followed by cracking in the eggs one by one. 

3. Now is your opportunity to give the mixture a really good stir. Don’t forget to make a wish and get others involved! Once combined really well, cover and leave overnight. 

4. The next day, sift in the flour and stir again. Transfer the mixture into a lightly greased pudding basin.

5. Cover the basin with 2 layers of baking parchment and 1 layer of foil. Secure really tight with string (and an elastic bank for extra security).

6. Place the pudding in a prepared steamer over a pan of simmering water for 8 hours. Keep checking and topping up with boiling water when necessary. 

7. Once done, leave to cool and replace the parchment and foil. Leave in a cool room ready for Christmas day.

On Christmas Day
Prepare the steamer over a pan of simmering water and steam the pudding around 2hrs. Again, keep checking the water and top up if needed. When you are ready to serve, run a knife around the edge and turn out gently onto a plate. Heat a little Seville Marmalade Gin and when at the table, light the gin and evenly pour over the pudding. Serve with extra thick cream and enjoy!