Steaming a Christmas pudding

I use an old upturned saucer in bottom of large saucepan for big pudding, and the three little ones I line up in my “fish kettle” and put it over two gas thingys on top of range.

I'm not sure what you mean by a steamer. Can you not just do it in a saucepan? It's years since I steamed mine in a pan anyway. I either do it in the oven or in my slow cooker.

To oven steam, I stand the pud on an upturned ovenproof saucer or similar in a roasting dish. I then make a 'tent' out of foil, leaving a gap to pour in boiling water to two thirds full. Then I close up the foil and very carefully transfer it all to the oven on a low heat. I check it after a few hours to make sure it hasn't run dry, topping up if necessary.

Nowadays, though, I simply pop it in my slow cooker for the appropriate amount of time. That means it doesn't need to be attended at all.

Do you have a slow cooker? I steamed mine in the slow cooker for 8 hours before letting it go cold prior to storing.
Saves steaming up the kitchen and takes no watching for boiling dry. (I just top up the water level occasionally). Have done my puddings like this for the last few years and they’re delicious.

I use my largest saucepan and fill it so that the water comes half the way up the pudding basin, keeping an eye on the water level while the pudding is steaming and adding more boiling water as and when it is needed.

If you have a glass lid from a preserving jar or a saucer you are not particularly fond of, pop it in the bottom of the pot for the pudding basin to stand on.

This was the way my grandmother steamed her puddings, and it has always worked for me. My great-aunt steamed meat-loaf in a stone jar in the same fashion - it tastes great, and if the saucepan is large enough you can boil the vegetables in the water for the last half-hour, or so.