Ingredients: - 
Butter for greasing baking bowl,
1 cup flour
75 g of diced butter,
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs,
450 g mixed fruit, or any combination of dried fruit,
1 tsp baking soda,
1 tsp mixed spice,
1/4 tsp ground cloves,
Grated rind of one small lemon,
1/2 cup brown sugar,
1 egg, lightly beaten,
1/2 cup milk,
2 Tbsp brandy - 
METHOD: -
Grease a metal pudding bowl with butter.
Using the tips of your fingers, rub butter into flour in a bowl, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Stir in fresh breadcrumbs, fruit mix, citrus rind, baking soda, mixed spice, ground cloves and brown sugar.
In a small bowl, whisk egg, brandy and milk.  Add this to the flour mixture, and fold through until blended.
Spoon mixture into pudding bowl. Cut a round of baking paper that will fit inside the lid of your pudding bowl, place this on the top of the bowl before fastening the lid.  Cover the bowl tightly with foil.
Place pudding bowl in a pot that has a lid.  The pot needs to be large enough that there is space around the pudding bowl for pouring water.
Boil the jug and pour the water into the pot until it comes 3/4 the way up the side of the pudding bowl.
Place the lid on the pot and bring water to a simmer. Set timer for three hours.
When the timer sounds, carefully remove the pudding bowl from the pot and allow it to cool. Place in a cool, dark location until Xmas or freeze if it’s still a few weeks away. Flavours will develop over 4-6 weeks. 
Reheat by placing the pudding bowl back in a pot of simmering water for 1-2 hours or leave it in the base of your slow cooker with a small amount of water until you are ready to serve your Xmas steamed pudding along with a jug of warm custard and a bowl of freshly whipped cream.