With Christmas Day just three weeks away, smart cooks are already beginning the long process of preparing the festive fare. Since most recipes call for the fruits to be soaked in spirits for a week or two ahead of making the traditional Christmas cakes and puddings.

For some, old family recipes will be used, but for others, many of whom will be making these items for the first time, here are some tried and true traditional recipes, which are delicious.

Enjoy!

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS PUDDING

1 lb. dried currants

1 lb. seedless raisins

1 lb. seeded raisins or sultanas

1 lb. mixed candied peel

1 cup glacé cherries, cut up

1 ½ cups dark rum

1 orange

1 lemon

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon mace

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs

1 cup dark brown sugar (well-packed)

1 lb. ground beef suet

4 eggs, well beaten

½ cup molasses

½ cup brandy

1 cup blanched, slivered almonds

SOAK dried fruits in rum and grated rind and juice of orange and lemon in a covered container (not metal) for as long as possible before Christmas (up to a week is also okay), stirring occasionally.

Sift spices, salt and flour into a large mixing bowl. Add bread crumbs, then remaining ingredients in order given, mixing well. Lastly, stir in fruit.

Grease well with shortening and lightly flour two 6-cup steamed pudding moulds and one 4-cup mould. Firmly pack batter into moulds, cover with wax paper, and tightly fitting lids. If lids don't have handles, use strips of cloth vertically, and tie together at the top to make a handle. Sit moulds on metal racks, inverted Pyrex pie plates or custard cups in separate pots. Pour boiling water half way up sides of moulds. Keep water at a good boil. Steam for five hours, topping up with boiling water as required throughout cooking time. Remove from pots, cool and store.

TO REHEAT: Re-steam for about 1 ½ hours. Unmould on to fancy plate. If desired, stick a sprig of holly in the top. At moment of serving, remove holly, drizzle with almost-hot brandy and ignite. Serve with hard sauce (see recipe below) or thick cream. (Betsy Ross in 'What's Cooking in Bermuda').

HARD SAUCE

? cup butter

1 cup sifted icing sugar

1 teaspoon rum or brandy

Pinch of salt

CREAM butter well, add sugar gradually. When well creamed together add salt and spirits.

Taste to see if more rum/brandy is needed. When sauce is smooth, pile lightly in a bowl and chill.

NANNA T'S–CHRISTMAS PUDDING

1 lb. brown raisins

1 lb. currants

1 lb. dried, pitted prunes, chopped

½ cup rum or brandy

4 oz. candied orange peel, chopped

4 oz. candied lemon peel, chopped

½ cup peeled, slivered almonds

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

8 oz. beef suet, chopped fine

1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed

4 large eggs

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoons nutmeg

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 ½ cups breadcrumbs

? cup brandy or rum

GREASE well with shortening and then flour the inside of a 2-quart pudding mould. Set aside.

Soak dried fruits in ½ cup rum or brandy in a lidded storage container as far ahead of pudding preparation as possible.

On mixing day, sift into a very large mixing bowl the flour, baking powder, and spices. Then add the salt, soaked fruit mixture, candied fruits and almonds.

Stir by hand until everything is well mixed, then add the breadcrumbs and stir well again.

In a separate bowl, combine lightly beaten eggs, brown sugar, suet and lemon rind. Bit by bit, blend this mixture into the rest of the ingredients in the large bowl. The batter will be thick and heavy. Spoon the mixture into the pudding mould, and attach lid. If lid has no handle, tie strips of cloth vertically around the mould and tie firmly at the top to make a lift. Place mould on a metal rack in a large stockpot and add enough hot water until it reaches about three-quarters of the way up the sides of the mould. Cover stockpot and boil on medium heat for about eight hours. When done, turn off heat, remove mould from the pot and cool. *Note: Water level should be kept constant, so top up with more hot water as needed.

FRUIT CAKE

8 oz. plain flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon mixed spice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

7 oz. butter

7 oz. dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons dark treacle

1 tablespoon marmalade

¼ teaspoon vanilla essence

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 ¾ lbs. mixed dried fruits

3½ oz. chopped mixed peel

5 oz. glacé cherries, halved

3 ½ oz. blanched almonds, chopped

Brandy

HEAT oven to 300 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch round or 7-inch square cake tin and line the bottom and sides with waxed paper or baking parchment. Cut a band of brown paper (a strong grocery bag, opened and cut lengthwise is good) one inch higher than tin and wrap around circumference, securing with string.

Sieve flour, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon into one bowl. In a separate, large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar, treacle, marmalade and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Add eggs, a little at a time, into the miture, adding one tablespoon of flor mixture with last amount. Fold in remaining flour mixture until well mixed, then mix in dried fruit, mixed peel, glacé cherries and almonds.

Transfer mixture to baking tin and make a slight hollow in the centre. Bake on middle rack in the oven for 3 hours, then test by inserting wooden skewer in the middle. If it comes out clean cake is done.

If not, bake for up to another hour, testing every 20 minutes until the skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out on wire rack and leave to cool completely. Once cool, make a few holes in the cake with a skewer and pour over 3-4 tablespoons of brandy and let soak into cake. Store the cake wrapped in foil and in an airtight tin or plastic container, holes side up.

Optional: For a rich, moist cake, spoon over a few tablespoons of brandy every week until you are ready to marzipan and decorate your cake with royal icing if desired.

Cooktip: Coating fruits, mixed peel and cherries lightly in a little flour before adding to mixture helps keep them evenly distributed during cooking.