A steamed ginger pudding that makes a brilliant alternative Christmas dessert

“Christmas is the one time we're encouraged to overindulge, and what a joy it can be”, says Anna Tobias, chef at London restaurant Café Deco. “I find traditional Christmas pudding claggy and heavy, but this ginger pud is a real treat. I learned the recipe from Jeremy Lee at the first restaurant I worked at, the Blueprint Cafe, and have been making it ever since. If you serve it with custard, I'd recommend you make your own - but store-bought will do."

Wine notes

Dr Loosen's Riesling Beerenauslese 2018 would complement this sweet, spicy pudding. It offers an equivalent amount of sweetness plus mouth-tingling acidity to counter the lushness (£14.95 for 187ml; thewinesociety.com)