Finely grind the white bread in a food processor and place in a large bowl. Add the dates, apricots, pecans and almonds to the bowl.

Peel and dice the apple, grate the orange zest and squeeze the orange. Add the apple and orange to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients (except the cognac) and mix well with a large spoon.

Grease the tin well and thickly, I used a turban tin but you could use an official pudding tin.

Pour the mixture into the tin and press down well.

Take a piece of baking paper and cover the mould, making a hole in the middle where the opening is. Cover with two layers of tin foil (again making a hole in the middle) and tie a piece of kitchen string around it.

The top of the turban should be well wrapped.

Take a large pan and place the turban in it. Fill the pan with water to about half the size of the turban.

Bring to the boil and cook for 4 hours with the lid on the pan.

Check every hour to make sure there is still enough water in the pan.

Pour the pudding into a serving dish. For the flambé, pour the cognac into a saucepan and heat over a low heat. Light the cognac with a match and pour over the pudding. Delicious with vanilla custard!