Chocolate & Cherry Christmas Pudding

Step 1: Drain the cherries in a sieve over a bowl and cut them in half and peel pear, then coarsely grate.

Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the cherries, pear, raisins, sultanas and brandy and stir well and cover with plastic wrap.

Step 3: Heat in microwave on high for 3 minutes, then leave to cool for 5 minutes to let fruit plump up and break chocolate into squares while you wait.

Step 4: Stir chocolate and butter into hot fruit until melted and then let cool, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.

Step 5: Meanwhile, rub 1 tablespoon butter around the inside of a 1-litre pudding steamer.

Step 6: Lay two sheets of foil over each other and butter the one on top and holding both sheets together, fold a 3cm pleat across the middle of the foil and set aside.

Step 7: Beat eggs in a small bowl.

Step 8: Sift the flour, mixed spice and cocoa powder on top of the chocolatey fruit, then add breadcrumbs, sugar and eggs and mix well – it will be quite a wet mixture and then spoon into prepared steamer and smooth over top.

Step 9: Cover pudding with buttered foil (buttery-side down), scrunching it over the edge of steamer. Tie firmly with string to secure.

Step 10: Trim foil so that a frill of about 5cm is left sticking out, then tuck the frill up and under itself neatly.

Step 11: The aim is to keep the pudding watertight beneath.

Step 12: Put steamer on a heatproof saucer in a large stockpot and add enough boiling water to pot to come halfway up the side of steamer and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and boil gently for about 2 hours, 30 minutes, or until pudding is cooked by inserting a skewer through the foil – if there is any wet mixture, steam for 15 minutes more, then check again and top up the water level as it cooks, if you need to.

Step 13: To reheat, steam in pot for 30 minutes, or microwave, covered with plastic wrap on medium for 5 minutes.

Step 14: For the sauce, break the chocolate into squares and place all the ingredients in a small pan and heat gently, stirring, until smooth.

Step 15: Serve the pudding topped with extra cherries, sauce and dollop cream.