Easy Slow Cooker Christmas Pudding

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the sultanas, raisins, currants, and candied peel. Stir in the chopped apple, citrus zests, orange juice, brandy, and stout. Mix thoroughly, cover with a clean tea towel, and allow the fruit to soak overnight at room temperature.

The following day, add the eggs, shredded suet, self-raising flour, breadcrumbs, mixed spice, ground cinnamon, dark brown sugar, and chopped almonds to the soaked fruit. Add a half-teaspoon of salt and stir well until all ingredients are perfectly incorporated.

Generously grease a 1-litre pudding basin with butter and line the bottom with a circle of baking parchment. Pack the pudding mixture into the basin, smoothing the top and creating a slight indentation in the center with the back of a spoon.

Cover the surface of the pudding with a circle of parchment paper. Create a lid by stacking a sheet of parchment over a sheet of foil, folding a pleat in the middle to allow for expansion. Place this over the basin and secure tightly under the rim with kitchen string, adding a string handle for easy lifting.