Nana’s Sago Plum Pudding

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons sago
1 1/2 Cups milk 1
1/2 Cups breadcrumbs
1 1/2 Cups sultanas
1/2 Cup sugar
1 1/2 Tea spoons bicarbonate of soda
3 Tablespoons butter Pinch of salt

Method

* Soak sago in milk over night in refrigerator * Place large saucepan of water to boil over which pudding is to steam * Grease pudding mould with butter and cut out piece of glad bake paper to place over the top about 5cm larger than the pudding mould, before securing the lid.

* Beat butter and sugar * Add sago with milk and bicarbonate of soda and salt.

* Add breadcrumbs and sultanas and mix lightly.

* Place in prepared mould and steam for 4 hours.

(You may need to add some boiling water to the saucepan every hour so avoid boiling dry).

Serve with brandy custard.

Note from Tania

My wonderful Nana Roberts was born in 1909. The eldest of 6 children, Nana was a terrific cook. Whether it was a Christmas cake cooked in a camp oven or rabbit strew which she freshly caught and prepared herself, there was nothing Nana couldn’t cook and it all tasted SO good.

She’d whip up things like Apple slices, scones or cakes lightening fast. When I use to ask her for the recipe she’d say, “you know…just put in a handful of this and a pinch of that” she made it look so easy. Nothing was ever really measured out except for maybe when she made the most delicious plum sauce and plum jam, which as a 11 year old, I loved helping her make. My job was ’sampler’ and adviser whether the sauce or jam needed to be sweeter etc.

Our family would go to Nana’s for a roast lunch most Sunday’s. I can still smell the roast beef and apple pie wafting down the driveway at Nans house as we arrived.

Every Christmas Nana always made a beautiful big Christmas cake. She would decorate it with tinsel, miniature farm animals collected from the Corn Flakes Cereal boxes. It would be covered with lollies and holly, everything that fascinated and delighted us kids.

Like nan, these special times would stay in our hearts forever.

She also use to make a magnificent Sago Plum Pudding. Nana handed down the Pudding recipe to me in the form of her 1941 Commonsense Cookery Book. My family love this dessert and I make it every Christmas however, I don’t think I’ll ever get it tasting quite as good as Nans!

Nan placed a piece of grease proof paper to mark the page in the recipe book many years ago and you know, it’s still there to this day some twenty years later after her passing.

When you make this pudding for your family, I hope a little cup of my darling nana and perhaps an ounce or two of me will find its way into your recipe, I think you’ll find it comes out in the form of love.

Wishing you and your family happiness and many blessing this Christmas.

Enjoy, TK x