Ian and Hilary made 48 kg in 2015 of his great aunt Nellie's recipe - steamed for 8 hours and then macerated with English grain spirit for 2 months, before re-distilling it and producing an unfiltered (yes there can be a tiny bit of sediment) Christmas Pudding Gin.

litre ceramic pudding basin (or Pyrex bowl) with a little butter and line the base with a disc of baking paper. Vine Fruits (34%) (Currants, Raisins, Sultanas), Brown Sugar, Mixed Peel (Orange Peel, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Lemon Peel, Sugar, Preservative: Potassium Sorbate, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid), Vegetable Suet (Vegetable Oil [Palm Oil*/Sunflower Oil], Wheat Flour*), Free Range Egg , Bramley Apple***, Wheat Flour**, Wholemeal Breadcrumb (Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Water, Caramelised Sugar, Yeast, Wheat Protein, Wheat Flour**, Salt, Soya Flour, Vegetable Oil [Palm*, Rapeseed], Preservative: Calcium propionate, Emulsifiers: Mono- and Di- Glycerides of Fatty Acids, Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorbic Acid), Crystallised Ginger (Ginger, Cane Sugar), Gin (3%), Orange Peel, Lemon Peel, Nibbed Walnuts, Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, Sweet Mixed Spices (Coriander, Cinnamon, Caraway Seeds, Allspice, Cloves, Cardamom, Ginger), Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves. Whilst one must be careful to look out for these coins to avoid any unnecessary trips to the dentist, it is believed that the finder of these hidden pennies is blessed with good luck.Vary the dried fruit – apricots, figs, and cherries are all delicious, but keep half to two thirds dark vine fruit as a base. The General Wine Company is a family-owned and operated wine merchant in Liphook, Hampshire, England. Yes the flavour is subtle but that's the point, if it didn't mainly taste of Juniper then it wouldn't be gin. Information and statements about products are not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.

Another Christmas Pudding custom, harking back to the Victorian Era, is hiding pennies within the pudding. I can't understand how anyone who has tried this hasn't been able to taste the Christmas pudding (unless they were expecting one of the "cheap and cheerful" heavily flavoured gin liqueurs you get in the supermarkets).

Vary the dried fruit – For the best Christmas pudding flavour, keep a base of about half to two thirds dark vine fruit (currants and raisins) and then make up the rest with apricots, dried figs, dates, cherries, mixed peel, or any combination to taste. In 2012, The Secret Garden Distillery was no more than a derelict plot of land at the foot of the Pentland Hills on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time. A rich 'cakey' mouthfeel, candied peel and raisins are at the forefront of this gin, which might be taken as a shot from the freezer instead of Christmas Pudding, lengthened with a dash of tonic, or mixed into any festive cocktail. I first tried this on a gin journey tour and was intrigued by it by the back story and the innovative way of distilling even before trying it. Blue Monkey Christmas Pudding Gin is based on their classic London Dry Gin and infused with luscious Christmas pudding fruits. Scrape the mixture into the prepared basin and level – there should be a 2cm gap at the top to allow for rising.The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Now it’s a verdant oasis, home to over 600 different kinds of plants and some of the world’s most exciting gins. Make the pudding and put it on to steam first thing in the morning to allow for the long cooking time.