Mrs White's Divine Christmas Pudding

This recipe has been used in our family for several generations, each having tweaked it a little. My mother dropped the grated carot which was introduced by my Gradma during the war when dreid fruit was in short supply. You can add it back in if you wish. My mother swapped in the Barbados sugar for a richer flavour and darker pudding, and she uses vegetable suet rather than the traditional beef suet.

You will need;

225g (8oz) currants

225g (8oz) sultanas

225g (8oz) stoned raisins

225g (8oz) Barbados sugar

100g (4oz) fresh breadcrumbs

100g (4oz) grated vegetable suet

100g (4oz) ground almonds

100g (4oz) blanched, chopped almonds

100g (4oz) mixed candied peel

175g (6oz) grated cooking apple

225g (8oz) plain flour

Finely grated rind of one orange

Finely grated rind of one lemon

30ml (2tbsp) lemon juice

75ml (3 fluid oz) Guinness

4 beaten eggs

15g (½ oz) ground mixed spice

1.25g (½ oz) grated nutmeg

1.25 (½ oz) ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

75ml (5tbsp) brandy

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl with half the brandy. Pour the mixture into a greased 2ltr (3 pint) pudding basin and cover with a double layer of greased, greaseproof paper, pleated in the middle to allow for expansion. Secure with string tied below the rim and across the top to form a handle. Place a trivet in the base of a large saucepan. Lower the pudding onto the trivet and fill with enough boiling water to come two-thirds up the side of the basin. Cover and cook in simmering water for 8 hours. Pour in more boiling water as necessary.

When the pudding is cooked, pour over the remaining brandy and recover with greaseproof paper and silver foil. The pudding can be kept in a cool place such as a larder for a year or more at this stage.

To reheat simmer gently for 3 hours, or microwave for around 6 minutes.

Bring to the table topped with a sprig of holy and flambéed in brandy.

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Stir Up Sunday - November 25th

It was tradition in our house that whilst Dad prepared the bonfire on Bonfire Night; Mum, with my sister and I, would make the Christmas Puddings.

The pudding mixture was of course already made by mum but we would give it a final stir and insert the silver charm, on which Grandpa would almost certainly break a tooth six weeks later, and pour the whole lot into the basins. It seems that with this family tradition, devised I suspect to distract us kids whilst Dad assembled his state of the art pyre, we were a little ahead of ourselves.

The last Sunday of the Church Year, or the Sunday before Advent, this year November 25th is termed 'Stir-up Sunday'. The name “Stir Up Sunday” comes from the opening words of the Church of England’s post communion prayer for this Sunday:

"Stir-up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people;
that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works,
may of thee be plenteously rewarded …..”

On Stir-up Sunday families returned from Church and gave the pudding its traditional final lucky stir, everyone in the family to take a turn at stirring the Christmas pudding, whilst making a wish.

Children chanted his rhyme:
Stir up, we beseech thee,
The pudding in the pot;
And when we get home
We'll eat the lot.

A proper Christmas pudding is always stirred from East to West in honour of the three Wise Men.

A coin was traditionally added to the ingredients and cooked in the pudding.

It was supposed to bring wealth to whoever found it in their pudding on Christmas Day.

In our case it just bought more wealth to the dentist.
Log onto our site at www.roullierwhite.com to print off a copy of

Mrs White's Traditional With a Twist Christmas Pudding Recipe.

If you live locally, or want a fun day out, pop into our East Dulwich Store,

Roullier White,

125 Lordship Lane,

London SE22 8HU

to pick up a free copy.