Ultimate Christmas Pudding Bowls

Our answer

Nigella's Ultimate Christmas Pudding (from Christmas and on the Nigella website) can be made in advance though we would suggest freezing the pudding until Christmas if it is being made this early in the year. Nigella uses a plastic pudding mould with a snap-on lid. However the size required is 1.7 litres (or 3 pints or 1 1/2 US quarts). In the UK these can be found on-line and in kitchenware shops. We suggest that once the pudding has cooled after the initial steaming, you remove the foil and wrap the basin tightly in a double layer of clingfilm before freezing it. We would not recommend removing the pudding from the bowl as it is difficult to return it for the second steaming. Also we would not use aluminium foil basins to cook and store the pudding as this can react with the pudding ingredients and affect the taste.

In the US the basins can be more difficult to find but we have successfully made the pudding in a 1 1/2 quart Pyrex mixing bowl. Put a circle of parchment paper over the surface of the pudding batter and tightly wrap the bowl in a double layer of plastic wrap and a double layer of foil before steaming. When the pudding is cool remove the wrapping and parchment paper and re-wrap with fresh parchment paper, plastic wrap and foil before freezing.

Follow the instructions at the end of the recipe to thaw and steam the puddings on Christmas day.