Mini Fruity Traditional Christmas Puddings

Method

1. Lightly grease 4 x 175ml pudding basins or ovenproof ramekins with vegan margarine and line the bottoms with baking parchment.
2. Put the breadcrumbs and oatmeal in a bowl, then sieve the flour and cinnamon on top.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well until everything is fully combined. Divide between the pudding basins or ramekins and smooth down the tops.
4. Cover the top of each pudding with a circle of baking parchment then cover the basins tightly with foil. If you have a steamer, place the puddings on the rack, cover and steam over gently boiling water for 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours until firm to the touch. If you don’t have a steamer, see our tips section.
5. To serve: Discard the foil and parchment and invert the puddings on to warm serving plates or bowls. Serve immediately with dairy-free pouring cream or vegan custard.
   
   TIPS: Replace the apple with grated carrot as an alternative. Use your favourite tipple to flavour the pudding instead of brandy or orange juice. You could also try different spices like ground allspice or ground mixed spice. If you don’t have a steamer for this recipe, you can improvise. Place the puddings in a large saucepan either raised up on upturned saucers, a trivet or scrunched up pieces of foil. This is so the puddings don’t touch the bottom of the pan or move around. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the basins. Cover with the lid and simmer gently as in step 4, topping up occasionally to ensure even cooking.
   
   Storing, freezing and reheating instructions: If you have used alcohol in the puddings, turn them out of the basins and leave to cool. Wrap in baking parchment and then foil and store in a cool, dry cupboard for up to 2 months. Alternatively, if you have used fruit juice or prefer to freeze the puddings, turn the hot puddings out of the basins on to a board lined with baking parchment or a plate and leave to cool completely. Put them on the board into the freezer and freeze uncovered until solid. Once solid, wrap them individually in cling film and seal well. Freeze for up to 3 months. To serve from frozen: Unwrap the frozen puddings and put back into the pudding basins or ramekins and leave in the fridge to defrost for about 4 hours. Follow the instructions for covering and steaming as per recipe but cook for about 1 hour until thoroughly hot. Alternatively, put the puddings in microwaveable dishes and cook each one on full power (900W microwave) for about 50 seconds until piping hot.