Pudding:

• 200g cherries, plus extra cherries, left whole, to decorate the pudding
• 1 pear, peeled and grated
• 100g raisins
• 100g sultanas
• 100ml brandy
• 100g dark chocolate
• 100g unsalted butter, plus 2 tbsp for greasing
• 2 large eggs
• 50g plain flour
• 100g dark soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 50g fresh breadcrumbs

Sauce:

• 100g dark chocolate
• 120ml double cream, plus extra to serve
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 3 tbsp brandy

Method:

1. Halve the cherries and combine with raisins, sultanas and brandy. Bring to the boil and leave for five minutes for fruit to plump up.
2. Chop chocolate and butter. Add to fruit and stir to melt. Cool this for 15 minutes.
3. Use the extra butter to grease the pudding moulds. Beat eggs together then add sifted flour, mixed spice and cocoa powder, and the sugar and breadcrumbs.
4. Add ¼ tsp salt and the fruit. It should be fairly wet mixture.
5. Cover with two layers of buttered foil. Place in a saucepan – use a saucer if necessary to lift pudding off the bottom of the saucepan and fill to halfway up the basin. Steam for 2 ½ hours. A skewer inserted should come out clean. You may need to top water up as it cooks.
6. You can sore this for up to two months before eating. Reheat by steaming for 30 minutes.

Sauce:

1. Bring the cream to the boil, remove from heat and add chopped chocolate, golden syrup and brandy.
2. Serve pudding with chocolate sauce and cherries.