Shop-bought might be tastier than ever, but preparing your own is always more fun. TASTE takes a Christmas pudding masterclass

No matter how many pigs in blankets you've scoffed on Christmas Day, you can always make room for some pudding, can't you? The Japanese say we have a separate stomach ("betsubara") for dessert, and it's never more true than on December 25.

In recent years, shops have battled to outdo one another to produce the most tempting Christmas pud on the planet - and it might seem much easier to pop one in your shopping basket than to make your own. But old traditions die hard, and in the next few months, the heady scent of spice and sugar will be wafting around the nation's kitchens, as we get cooking our own.

So what better way to get into the festive spirit than with a Christmas pudding masterclass courtesy of The Landmark London in Marylebone.

"The traditional time to make Christmas pudding is the fifth Sunday before Christmas - Stir-up Sunday [November 22, the last Sunday before advent] - but you can make them any time," says pastry chef, Pierre Rebuzzi.

On Stir-up Sunday, traditionally, each member of the family would have a turn stirring the 'plum pudding' (plums were another word for raisins pre-Victorian times) and make a wish. Then there was the custom of hiding a silver sixpence in the pud, which would promise to bring wealth to whoever found it in their bowl later on.

For many years, Rebuzzi, who hails from Lyon, the food capital of France, has made around 500 Christmas puddings to serve at the hotel, so who better to take us through making a Christmas pud? "As a French person, Christmas pudding is not something I traditionally eat, but the way I like my Christmas pudding is light and fruity," says the 30-year-old, who has been macerating his fruit for six weeks in a mix of rum, brandy, kirsch and lemon and orange juice. "I don't like it too hard or too flavourful of spices - I like something very light, because it's something you will eat after a big meal and you will not have much space!"

Rebuzzi uses just one spice - nutmeg - to flavour his pudding, although cinnamon, cloves and ginger are traditionally used too.

It turns out that the Christmas pudding itself is quite quick and easy to make - but there are a whopping 22 different ingredients in Rebuzzi's version, which have all been 'prepared earlier', including the fruit that's been steeping for weeks.

All that's needed is to mix it all up in the bowl, and grate a tart Granny Smith apple in too.

"Christmas pudding is actually a very basic mix to make, you just have to incorporate your dry items with your wet items, your nuts, your fruits, and mix everything properly," says Rebuzzi, warning to "be very careful not to have patches of flour".

Once mixed, you squash the mess into your pudding basin, cover with a layer of greaseproof paper and then another of aluminium foil, all tied up with string.

The time-consuming part, which is done at home, is to steam the pud for four hours in a big saucepan, making sure to keep the water topped up throughout.

Rebuzzi says the pudding will happily keep in the fridge or a cool, dry place 'til Christmas Day, when you'll need to steam it again for another hour, before serving with your favourite brandy butter or cream (he serves his with brandy custard).

To ensure that boozy flavour, Rebuzzi suggests: "Every so often, maybe once a week, you can add a little bit more alcohol, like brandy, on top, and it will still keep a lot of flavour."

The piece de resistance is to flambe the pudding by pouring over a ladleful of brandy and setting light to it. Make sure you perform this ritual safely though - you don't want Christmas Day to end in a flaming disaster.

THE PERFECT PUD FROM THE LANDMARK LONDON

(Makes 3 x puddings in bowls 14cm in diameter)

Ingredients: 140g vegetable suet, 140g demerara sugar, 75g soft flour, 75g breadcrumbs, 30g lemon juice, 4g nutmeg, 1 pinch salt, 20g jam, 90ml Irish stout, 1 grated apple, 500g marinated fruit, 2 eggs, 200g walnuts.

For the marinated fruit: 100g dry apples, 100g raisins, 100g dry apricots, 100g dry cranberries, 100g golden raisins, 20g navy rum, 40ml brandy, 20ml kirsch, juice and zest of 1/2 an orange, juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon. Marinate the dry fruit for two months, adding more liquor if necessary.

To make: Butter the pudding basins. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, ensuring that there are no pockets of flour or breadcrumbs. Pour the mixture into the buttered basins and cover with a circle of greaseproof paper and aluminium foil. Tie firmly with a string. Put the basin in a pan, add boiling water to a quarter of the way up the basins, cover and steam for at least four hours. Top up with water if needed. Steam for another hour before serving.