Sticky Gingerbread Puddings with Ginger Wine and Brandy Sauce

First of all, place the pieces of stem ginger in a food processor and turn the motor on for about 7-10 seconds.

Be careful not to process for too long – the ginger should be chopped small, but not puréed! After that, sift the flour, spices, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl. Then add the eggs, butter and sugar. The way to deal with the treacle is to grease the spoon first and, using a spatula or another spoon, push it into the bowl to join the rest of the ingredients. Now add the freshly grated ginger, then, using an electric hand whisk, whisk everything together gradually, adding 6 fl oz (175 ml) warm water until you have a smooth mixture. Finally, fold in the apple and stem ginger.

Now divide the mixture between the buttered pudding basins, stand them on a baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven for 35 minutes, or until they feel firm and springy to the touch. After that, remove them from the oven and let them stand for about 5 minutes, then run a small palette knife around the edges of the tins and turn them out. Allow the puddings to get completely cold and keep them wrapped in clingfilm until you need them.

To make the sauce, all you do is gently melt together the sugar and butter until all the granules of sugar have completely dissolved, then whisk in the ginger wine and brandy, add the chopped ginger and the sauce is then ready to serve.

To serve the puddings: pre-heat the grill to its highest setting and arrange the puddings on a heatproof dish or tray. Spoon the sauce over, making sure that no little bits of ginger are actually on the top of the puddings, then place the whole thing under the grill, so that the tops of the puddings are about 5 inches (13 cm) from the source of heat. Now allow them to heat through – which will take about 8 minutes – by which time the tops will be slightly crunchy and the sauce will be hot and bubbly. Serve with chilled pouring cream.

Note: if you want to make these puddings in advance, they freeze beautifully, and after defrosting should be re-heated as above.