I’m not a big fan of Christmas Pudding. But I am a big fan of traditions. Whether it’s keeping them going or starting a new like we did with advent last year, I think it’s important to remember the past as we step into the new.
So this year we visited Grandma Sue to make our Christmas Pudding.
The pudding originates in England and was also called Plum Pudding according to this old book. This is because of the prunes that were key ingredients. It’s made five weeks before Christmas to let all the flavours mellow and ripen.
Grandma’s old cookery book
Preparing our bowls
Strong, steam proof bowls are essential and Grandma suggested a bit of greaseproof paper to line the base.
Lining the base
Buttering the sides
Measuring all the ingredients
My girls love measuring and have inherited by accuracy on the scales so this took rather a long time because they wanted it exactly right. traditional the pudding has thirteen ingredients to represent Jesus Christ and his disciples
Measure everything out under a watchful eye
The girls replaced prunes with glacé cherries
A welcome distraction
There was a lot of ingredients to measure – sultanas, raisins, currants, sugar, butter, flour….they got a bit side tracked making flies with Granddad for next year’s fishing trip!
Concentrating on the pretty fly
On to the very important stirring
Families would come home from church on Stir Up Sunday and stir the pudding from East to West in honour of the three wise men who travelled to meet Baby Jesus. As they stirred, they prayed:
“Stir Up, we beseech thee. Oh Lord the wills of thy people. That they plenteously bring forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be pleanteously rewarded, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
Amber makes a wish
I’m pretty sure Amber was singing her own mixing song. Maybe one day she’ll share it with us all.
She rather enjoyed the mixing
Amy makes a wish
Placement of the silver coin for wealth
Many households used to stir silver coins into the mixture for wealth or even an array of other objects with different meanings. Tiny wishbones for good luck, a silver thimble for thrift, a ring for marriage, or an anchor for safe harbor. When the pudding is served at Christmas, whoever got the lucky serving, would be able to keep the charm. I think my girls were hinting at the idea of getting pocket money!
A silver coin (wrapped in foil) to wish for wealth
And that was that. We steamed the pudding for a couple of hours and now it’s sitting in a secret dark and cool place until Christmas Day. We’ll steam it again to warm it through and add a little sprig of holly before digging it.
This is the simplest cooking the children have ever done and even I amlooking forward to trying this pudding. There’s something special about making your own.
Do you make your own Christmas Pudding? What are your family traditions on Stir Up Sunday?
Related articles
- The best Christmas pudding recipe (telegraph.co.uk)
- Stir Up Fizz (recipesfromanormalmum.com)
- Christmas Pudding Recipes (bbc.co.uk)
- Nigella’s Christmas Pudding Recipe
- Delia’s Pudding Recipe
Beautiful to read.
I’m going to do this too with my children when they are born and start to grow up in the future.
Thanks. I think any age is great but as they’d been learning a bit at school the banter was nice this year
Lovely little tradition to keep going. I think next year they should make mini ones and then pop a charm into each. xxx
That’s a nice idea and means they would probably would get eaten rather than churned into ice cream!
! started making my own puds with my child when she was very young and she loved it…. still do it now even tho she is 24 and left home… just because i like tradition and they taste so very delicious, and i can ensure that veggy suet is used!
That’s lovely to hear. Do you know what the suet does? We didn’t use any in the recipe we followed
Lovely to hear that you and your girls are starting a new tradition, hopefully one they will pass on themselves.They look to be concentrating very hard, listening to their Gran and Mum. I trust they didn’t decorate the cake with fishing flies! For our Christmas, Grandma does the pudding (and splendid it is too, although I am not a huge lover of dried fruit) and I do the cake (marzipan but no icing), a tweak on a St Delia recipe
I’m thinking about doing a Xmas cake this year but I don’t know if I can deal with two fruit cakey things! Perhaps we’ll make a choc and cranberry cake and start another new tradition!
Lovely post Urvashi! It’s so lovely to have traditions, so lovely for your children to have these memories when they grow up! I remember a Christmas pudding been made in my Aunts house and everyone in the house has to have a stir for luck.
It’s really cool. Like everyone has a hand in making it taste nice
LOVELY LOVELY photos Urvashi and both of your girls have such an intent expression on their faces, but, it’s wonderful to see them so engrossed in the “tradition”……I involved my daughter in cooking as soon as she was old enough to hold a wooden spoon, and it is a life skill that has served her well since she left home and university! Happy Christmas Pudding Day! Karen
Thanks Karen. I agree with your philosophy. I hated it that my friends went off to Greece but I had to stay home and learn to cook with my mum (teenage angst!) after my exams but very grateful now
Love the look of concentration on your girls faces. It’s so lovely getting them involved in these traditions isn’t it. Made Christmas cake with my daughter this weekend but pudding next weekend as couldn’t find the pudding basin! I make Nigella’s pud with Pedro Ximenez – it’s an excuse to have this lovely sherry in the house, makes a great, easy pud with a little poured over vanilla ice-cream.
Ooooh and I bet the kitchen smelled amazing too
I really enjoyed this post Urvashi. It’s great to be imparting / continuing these traditions to the next generation. I also learnt a few things, such as 13 ingredients which I never knew. I’ve never made my own, but have had many a stir. My mother always makes one for me. She inherited her recipe from my grandmother who used to give all of her children a pudding for Christmas. When my mother was working in Italy (many many years ago) and received her Christmas pudding, the husband of the house was so enamoured he asked my mother if she’d make one for him every day. She had to explain to him that it was a special occasion pudding only and he was somewhat disappointed.
Thanks lovely. Do you think you will inherit the recipe from your grandmother one day?
Such a sweet posts, I love the family pics and your account of the day stirring. I’m sure it will taste wonderful. I’m not sure I knew it had thirteen ingredients to represent JC and his disciples, see, there’s symbolism in everything!
Thanks Ren. I love all the symbolism! Makes things so much more interesting.
My Mum Rocks – yes – this is my Mum in the pictures and yes she taught me the Christmas Pudding ritual that Urvashis kids are partaking in – I am so proud of my Mum for doing this and for Urvashi for passing on a small ritual 🙂
These pics are so precious. I love the one with Grandad. Making mine tomorrow – no one but me likes dried fruit but everyone likes stirring and making a wish.
Thanks Sally. It’s a lovely tradition and happy memories. Hope your wishes come true x