Reader recipe: Pat's Xmas pudding

This is a great family recipe, you can vary the ingredients and cook it three different ways - 1 hour pressure cooker, 3 hours stove top steaming, 7-9 hours slow cooker. This pudding is delicious and reheats in microwave or fry pan and still tastes great, you can slice it like a fruit cake, butter it like a fruit loaf, or hot with custard and cream.

Ingredients

2 cups	Standard flour
1 cup	White sugar
1 cup	Sultanas
1 cup	Raisins (Main)
2 cups	Soft white bread, crumbed OPTIONAL
1 cup	Carrot, grated OPTIONAL

SPICES 4tsp of Ginger, cinnamon,mixed spice,

4 tsp	Mixed spice
4 tsp	Baking soda, disolved in 1/2 cup milk
4 Tbsp	Butter, or Marg melted in 1/2cup boiling water

Directions

1. Mix flour, sugar and fruit of your choice together add 4tsp ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice, 1 tsp nutmeg, then add baking soda disolved in 1/2cup milk, then add the melted butter. IF YOU ADD THE OPTIONAL 2 CUPS OF BREADCRUMBS AND 1CUP GRATED CARROT, MIX IN NOW. if a bit dry add a little water. Pour mix into well greased bowl, leaving space for it to rise. Cover with two layers of butter paper and tin foil, tie securly (I use an elastic band) WHAT METHOD ARE YOU GOING TO USE TO COOK IT?
2. 1 FAST COOK 1HR IN PRESSURE COOKER PLACE BOWL ON MIDDLE OF TRIVET IN PRESSURE COOKER, ADD 12OOmils OF HOT WATER, BRING TO BOIL THEN CLOSE THE PRESSURE COOKER LID SECURLY, ALLOW TO STEAM FOR 20min WITHOUT WEIGHT ON, THEN PUT IT ON AND COOK FOR A FURTHER 40min, YOU CAN COOK IT FOR A FURTHER 10min FOR A DARKER COLOURED PUDDING. Note I use a "Presto Pressure Cooker", Follow the instructions for the Pressure Cooker you are using, as a rule, you do not want the water over half-way up the pudding bowl.
3. STOVE TOP 3HRS STEAMED WITH LID ON AND KEEP WATER TOPPED UP HALFWAY UP THE BOWL.
4. SLOW COOKER 7-9HRS Place prepared pudding in slow cooker with water halfway up the bowl, cook on high for 7-9hrs. My Slow Cooker is oblong so I use a SILICON MEAT LOAF DISH that fits quiet snuggly. Still a great result.