In England, Christmas puddings are usually made on Stir-up Sunday, that is the last Sunday before the season of Advent. In fact, when compiling your Christmas countdown shopping and to-do list, remember that Christmas puddings can (and should!) be made well ahead of the Holiday season - at least one month in advance, but two or three months are even better - to let the flavour and texture improve as the pudding matures. A well-made pudding will keep adequately for up to a year.
MRS BEATON'S OLD-TIME RECIPE FOR CHRISTMAS PLUM PUDDING
The following is adapted by the author from recipe no. 1328 in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (out of copyright, author d. 1865), a compendium of the quintessential dishes of Victorian England.
Ingredients
- 340 gr (12 oz) raisins
- 230 gr (8 oz) currants
- 230 gr (8 oz) mixed peel
- 170 gr (6 oz) bread crumbs
- 170 gr (6 oz) suet
- 4 eggs
- ½ wineglassful of brandy
Method
- Stone and cut the raisins in halves, but do not chop them
- Wash, pick, and dry the currants, and mince the suet finely
- Cut the candied peel into thin slices, and grate down the bread into fine crumbs
- When all these dry ingredients are prepared, mix them well together
- Moisten the mixture with the eggs, which should be well beaten, and the brandy
- Stir well, that everything may be very thoroughly blended, and press the pudding into a buttered mould
- Tie it down tightly with a floured cloth
- Boil for 5 or 6 hours. It may be boiled in a cloth without a mould, and will require the same time allowed for cooking.
- When the pudding is taken out of the pot, hang it up immediately by a hook, and put a plate or saucer underneath to catch the water that will drain from it. Leave it to dry out until Christmas Day.
TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS PUDDING RECIPE
Ingredients
- 250 gr (½ lb) self raising flour
- 125 gr (¼ lb) bread crumbs
- 170 gr (6 oz) suet (beef or vegetarian)
- 170 gr (6 oz) brown sugar
- 375 gr (¾ lb) mixed currants, raisins and sultanas
- ½ tbsp black treacle
- ½ apple, peeled and grated
- ½ carrot, finely grated
- 60 gr (2 oz) mixed spice
Method
- Mix all ingredients together. If you don't like using suet (or even the lighter vegetarian substitute), you may still use unsalted butter. However, for best results butter should not be used as is, but frozen and then grated. In any case, lard won't do as a suet substitute.
- Soak linen cloth in boiling water. Wring out. Sprinkle flour on cloth.
- Place mixture on flour. Secure tightly.
- Place a plate upside down in a saucepan of boiling water.
- Place the cloth bundle in the saucepan on top of the plate.
- Cook for 2½ hours.
- Remove from the pan and hang to drain in a cool dry place.
RICH CHRISTMAS PUDDING RECIPE
Ingredients
- 170 gr (6 oz) plain flour
- 75 gr (3 oz) white breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp powdered mace
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch ginger powder
- 75 gr (3 oz) brown sugar
- 115 gr (4 oz) beef or vegetarian suet, shredded
- 230 (8 oz) currants, washed
- 230 (8 oz) sultanas, washed
- 170 gr (6 oz) seedless raisins, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 170 gr (6 oz) dried prunes, apricots, figs and dates, stoned and finely chopped
- 85 gr (3 oz) flaked or coarsely ground almonds
- finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon (or ½ orange, ½ lemon)
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 150 ml (¼ pint) brown ale or stout
- 3 tbsp brandy, rum or whisky
Method
- Grease a pudding basin.
- Sieve the flour and spices and add the suet, dried fruit, sugar, lemon rind and juice, carrot, apple and bread crumbs.
- Mix well and bind together with eggs, ale and spirits.
- Spoon the mixture into the pudding mould, then cover with greased greaseproof paper and aluminion foil.
- Place in a large saucepan, half filled with water.
- Simmer covered for 6 hours, keeping up the water level with boiling water.
- Remove, allow to cool and finally store in a cool place for a couple of months.
- On Christmas Day, replace the buttered foil with clean layers and re-boil.
Christmas Pudding Serving Suggestions
The day it is to be eaten, plunge it into boiling water, and keep it boiling for at least 2 hours; then turn it out of the mould and decorate it by placing a spray of holly on top. Serve with either whisky custard, whipped cream, brandy butter or clotted cream.
Otherwise, douse the pudding in a wineglassful of brandy, light it, and bring the pudding to table encircled in flame. Bear safety in mind and preferably flambé your pudding when the diners are adults or children are safely away from the action!
Christmas Pudding in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
"A great deal of steam! The pudding was out of the copper. A smell like washing-day! That was the cloth. A smell like an eating house and a pastrycook’s next door to each other, with a laundress’s next door to that! That was the pudding! In half a minute Mrs. Cratchit entered – flushed, but smiling proudly – with the pudding. Like a speckled cannon ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top."
Maddalena Delli - Maddalena Delli is an Italian freelance journalist and professional travel writer who also enjoys blogging, web design and photography.
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