Where to Store Steeping Fruit

Our answer

For Nigella's Christmas Pudding (from Christmas and on the Nigella Website) the dried fruits are steeped (or soaked) in sherry for a week before the pudding is made. It is not necessary to keep the steeping fruits in the fridge as both the fruits and the alcohol keep well. We would however prefer to keep the fruits in a cool, dry (and if kept for longer, dark) place while they soak.

The best container for the fruits is a tightly sealed plastic container. This means that you can give the fruits a little stir or shake every day or two, to make sure that the fruits soak evenly. A glass or Pyrex bowl tightly wrapped with clingfilm would also be suitable.

Although the recipe suggests the fruits should be soaked for a week, they can stand for several weeks (and up to a year) if necessary, so don't worry if your pudding making plans change once the steeping process has started.