How to steam a pudding

Points to remember

• Take a large sheet of aluminium foil and a piece of buttered greaseproof paper about the same size. Make a pleat by folding a crease in the centre of both the paper and the foil.
• Turn the buttered sheet over so the foil's on top and press it around the bowl with the fold on top. Tie the foil tightly around the bowl using a long piece of string.
• Trim away excess foil and greaseproof paper. Leave about two inches or 10 cm of foil and paper around the sides of the bowl.
• Tuck the paper in and fold the foil around it to totally encase the paper and give the pudding a water-tight seal.
• Make a handle for bowl by threading a double length of string through the string already tied around the pudding. Pull it through to the other side and secure. The pudding is now ready to go into the pan.
• Place the pudding into the steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water, or use a large saucepan with a saucer in the bottom.
• Steam for several hours, or as recipe indicates. Top up water when necessary.
• When the pudding is steamed, cut the string around the bowl. Gently ease away the paper and foil.
• Before storing the pudding ready for re-steaming, recover with a fresh sheet of foil and paper as before. Tie a handle around it for ease of removing.

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