A rather red cheering up pudding

This would have been nice in the miserable late winter we had, so rainy… but maybe it would be a nice cheering up pudding now?

Beetroot and ginger pudding

• 3 tbsp golden syrup (or 3 tbsp. of the syrup from the stem ginger)
• 4 oz suet
• 3 oz dark brown sugar
• 4 oz raisins or other dried fruit (prunes are nice)
• 2 oz wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 2 oz wholemeal self-raising flour
• 2 tsp ground mixed spice
• 5 oz cooked beetroot, puréed, with 3 eggs
• 4 oz finely chopped stem ginger

1. spoon the syrup into a buttered 1½ pint pudding basin
2. mix the suet, sugar, raisins, breadcrumbs, flour and mixed spice.
3. pour the beetroot and eggs into the suet mixture and add the stem ginger, and stirring well
4. pour into the pudding basin and level with a spoon. Cover with grease proof paper, tie up with string, then cover with a double layer of foil.
5. put in a steamer for 3 hours, or into a large pan of hot water – make sure the water only comes half-way up the basin. Cover with a lid and simmer for 3 hours, checking every so often that there is plenty of water in the pan, topping up if necessary.
6. when cooked, turn out onto a serving dish, delicious with custard, crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream.