How to heat a Christmas pudding with absolutely no cooking equipment

1. Buy some Brie to make tasty sandwiches for a long bus journey (if you buy a baguette you can cut costs and make it last for two meals). Surprisingly the Brie is packaged in a tin, keep the tin as it may prove useful.
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2. Visit post restante at Phnom Penh post office and collect Christmas goodies sent from home.
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3. Open up package from parents and delightedly unwrap a Tesco finest Christmas pudding!
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4. Buy a brandy minature from your local shop (may cost more than you’d expect).
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5. Ask your guesthouse for a plate, a spoon and some ice (ice to cool the pineapple palm wine you bought). As an unexpected bonus the guesthouse provides you with a bucket of ice plus tongs.

6. Clear a good space on the tiled guest room floor, making sure all flammable materials are at a safe distance. Then light a tea light.

7. Remove pudding from packaging and place in empty Brie tin. Using tongs hold the tin over the flame. After a few minutes turn pudding to heat the other side.
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8. Turn pudding out onto plate and douse with brandy.
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9. Heat some brandy in the improvised “pan”, pour into metal spoon and set alight.

10. Pour flaming brandy over the pudding whilst singing “we wish you a merry Christmas…”
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11. Enjoy the fruits of your labour, remember the proof is in the pudding!

Laura