Christmas Food - part two - Christmas Pudding. The saga of the Christmas Pudding. My grandmother - you know the one - the expert of all things Christmas - was the production manager of the Christmas pudding.
Preparation began at least two months before Christmas - in October usually. Similar to the Christmas cake the fruit was weighed and measured and socked in brandy overnight before the adding and stirring of the other ingredients. I always made sure I was at my Nan's house at some stage of the pudding making saga. Again, I loved to lick the spoon.
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| Hanging puddings |
A calico pudding cloth - saved from year to year - was wet and squeezed out, laid on the table and sprinkled with flour in a circle in the middle. The pudding mix was put in, tied tightly with string and knotted at the top. Then a plate is put in the boiler and a wooden spoon tied to the pudding - across the pot - to stop the pudding touching the bottom of the pot. Then into the boiler for about six hours - watched carefully - the water topped up if need be.
All cooked and ready for hanging in a cool, dry place until Christmas. Nan used a broomstick balanced between two cupboards in her pantry room - it was a big room. Nan made four puddings every Christmas so it was quite a production.
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| Flaming brandy |
On Christmas day the pudding was gently boiled for two hours - again watched by my Nan of course. Nan always poured brandy on the pudding and it was carried to the dinner table all lit - we used to turn out the lights - so exciting. There was a sprig of holly on the top of the pudding - real holly - I don't know where she managed to get holly but Nan had holly everywhere at Christmas.
The pudding was served with custard and or ice cream. Nan didn't like brandy butter apparently.
Stay tuned for the Christmas treats ...
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