Seven-cup pudding with butterscotch sauce

Description

Non-Scots might eat this with some custard or cream, but I would inundate it with custard, cream - and (don't forget that sweet tooth of ours!) a scoop of best-quality ice-cream.

Ingredients

For the pudding (use a regular 300ml/10fl oz coffee mug for the measurements)
1 mug raisins
1 mug sultanas
1 mug self-raising flour
1 mug shredded suet
1 mug fresh breadcrumbs
1 mug light muscovado sugar
1 level tsp ground cinnamon
1 heaped tsp ground mixed spice
1 mug whole milk
1 medium free-range egg, beaten
butter, for greasing
For the butterscotch sauce
75g/2¾oz light muscovado sugar
50g/2oz butter
150ml/5fl oz double cream
few drops vanilla extract
crème fraîche, to serve

Method

1. For the pudding, place the first six mugfuls of ingredients into a bowl with the spices and mix well.
2. Add the milk and beaten egg and mix well.
3. Grease a 1 litre/1¾ pint pudding basin with butter, then pour the pudding mixture into the basin.
4. Cover with baking paper or foil, then place into a steamer set over a pan of simmering water and cook for about 2½ hours, or until cooked through.
5. For the butterscotch sauce, place all the sauce ingredients (not the crème fraîche) into a pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and boil for three minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened and smooth.
6. To serve, turn the pudding out onto a serving plate and serve with the butterscotch sauce and crème fraîche.