Gluten Free Christmas Pudding

10 dried dates

10 dried apricots

260g dried fruit combination - your choice of currants, raisins, sultanas, cherries or cranberries

80ml brandy

50g Get Farmed! Chickpea Flour

65g Get Farmed! Chickpea Crumbs

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon mixed spice

80g coconut sugar (or any other dark brown sugar)

1 medium apple, grated or cored and thrown into a high speed blender and blitzed into a puree (skin can be left on)

1 large orange, zest only

3 tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)

2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses

75g coconut oil, softened not liquid

You will need a 900ml - 1 litre pudding basin, baking parchment, tin foil, some string, a pair of scissors and a steamer to go on your stovetop.

INSTRUCTIONS

Chop the dates and apricots. Then put them and all of the other dried fruit into a large mixing bowl and pour over the brandy. Leave until the liquid has been absorbed by the fruit. How long it takes varies depending on the fruit you use but it will be somewhere between about 15 and 30 minutes.

While that is happening, place the pudding basin on some parchment paper and draw a circle around the bottom of the basin onto the paper. Cut it out and set aside. Then turn the basin over and draw another circle around the top of the basin. Cut that one out but cut a few millimetres inside the line this time so the circle will fit on top of the pudding batter when you put it in the basin. Set that circle aside too.

Make sure you have the water simmering in the steamer, and a full kettle boiled and ready.

Grease the pudding basin with some coconut oil and place the small circle in the bottom of the basin.

Once the liquid has been absorbed by the fruit, add the flour, chickpea crumbs, baking powder, mixed spice and sugar to the bowl and stir really well to combine.

Then add the orange zest, apple, aquafaba, blackstrap molasses and coconut oil and stir well until combined.

Spoon the mixture into the pudding basin, smooth it out and top with the large circle of parchment paper, pressing it down all over and into the sides gently.

Cut a large rectangle of silver foil and a slightly smaller rectangle of parchment paper. Enough to go over the top of the pudding basin with plenty to spare. Then lay the foil flat on your surface and the parchment paper flat on top of the foil. Make a pleat in them both. Cover the top of the pudding basin with the foil and paper making sure the pleat is in the middle, then press it down all around the basin as tightly as you can, then tie twice around the basin with string as tightly as you can.

COOKING METHOD:

With the water simmering away under the steamer insert, place the pudding in the insert and cover with the lid. Cook for 3 hours.