Three-in-one mix boiled pudding

In a large bowl, add fruit mixture and stir in butter, eggs, breadcrumbs and sifted flour.

Fill a boiler three-quarters full with hot water; cover, bring to the boil.

Have ready 2.5 metres of kitchen string and an extra ¾ cup (110g) plain flour. Wearing thick rubber gloves, dip prepared pudding cloth (see note) into boiling water; boil 1 minute. Using tongs, remove cloth from water; squeeze excess water from cloth. Working quickly, spread hot cloth on bench, rub extra flour into centre of cloth to cover an area of about 40cm in diameter; leave flour a little thicker in centre of cloth, where the 'skin' on the pudding will need to be thickest.

Place pudding mixture in centre of cloth; gather cloth evenly around pudding, avoiding any deep pleats; pat into a round shape. Tie cloth tightly with kitchen string as close to mixture as possible. Knot corners of cloth together to make pudding easier to remove from the boiler.

Gently lower pudding into boiling water. Tie the free ends of the string to handles of the boiler to suspend the pudding. Cover boiler with a tight-fitting lid; boil rapidly 6 hours. Replenish the boiling water as needed to maintain the boil and water level; there must be enough boiling water for the pudding to be immersed at all times.

Untie pudding from the handles. Place the handle of a wooden spoon through the knotted cloth loops to lift the pudding from the water. Don't put the pudding on the bench; suspend it from the spoon on rungs of an upturned stool. The pudding must be suspended freely. If the pudding has been cooked correctly, the cloth will start to dry in patches within a few minutes; hang the pudding 10 minutes.

Place the pudding in a bowl, cut string; gently peel away cloth to uncover about half the pudding. Scrape the skin back onto the pudding with a palette knife if necessary. Invert onto a plate and continue to peel off the cloth completely. Stand at least 20 minutes or until the skin darkens and the pudding becomes firm before cutting to serve.