Making my Christmas Pudding with
The Royal Mint
Last Sunday the 22nd November was Stir-Up Sunday, traditionally the day that all organised cooks and housewives made their Christmas puddings…….I was planning to make mine on the day too, but as it happened, I was in London cooking at the Taste of London Winter Festival, so, I am sharing my pudding making activity today. My pudding recipe is one that The Royal Mint sent to me, along with a real silver sixpence…….from 1916, so nearly 100 years old. I will share the recipe at the end of this post, but for now, I’d like to show you my step-by-step pudding photos………
Making the Royal Mint Christmas Pudding recipe……
And here is the pudding steamed and ready to serve!
The recipe is shared below and DO let me know if you have made your pudding yet and what recipe you use! Karen
Disclaimer: Commissioned work with The Royal Mint
Read all about my Royal Mint Silver Sixpence here:
Get Ready for Stir-Up Sunday with The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint Christmas Pudding
Print recipe
| Serves | 8 - 10 |
| Prep time | 24 hours, 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 6 hours |
| Total time | 30 hours, 30 minutes |
| Allergy | Egg, Wheat |
| Meal type | Dessert |
| Misc | Pre-preparable, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Christmas |
| Region | British |
| By author | Rachel Walker |
Ingredients
- 170g sultanas
- 140g currants
- 140g raisins
- 200ml water
- 30g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/2tsp ground mace
- 1/2tsp ground ginger
- 55g breadcrumbs
- 85g shredded suet (if you cannot get hold of suet, softened butter works just as well)
- 40g chocolate (70%), grated
- 1 cooking apple, peeled and grated
- 85g soft dark brown sugar
- 20g chopped mixed peel
- 55g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 3 tbsp brandy
- Large elastic band
- 1 egg, beaten
- Knob of butter for greasing
- The Royal Mint Sixpence
- 1 litre pudding/pyrex bowl
- Greaseproof paper
- String
- Stock pot
- Steamer basket/Deep saucer/ramekin
Note
This year, to mark hundreds of years of tradition, The Royal Mint has commissioned Chef Rachel Walker to create their very own Royal Mint Christmas Pudding ahead of Stir Up Sunday.
The Christmas pudding is one of the essential British Christmas traditions, having been introduced to the Victorians by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. On Stir Up Sunday, families gather together in the kitchen of their home to mix and steam Christmas pudding. Parents teach their children how to mix ingredients for the pudding and everyone takes a turn to stir the pudding mix and make a special Christmas wish for the year ahead.
Directions
| Step 1 | Put the sultanas, currants and raisins in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 3 minutes. Leave to soak, uncovered, overnight. |
| Step 2 | Sift the flour and spices into a mixing bowl. |
| Step 3 | Add the breadcrumbs, suet / butter, grated chocolate, grated apple, brown sugar, mixed peel, almonds, lemon and orange zest. |
| Step 4 | Mix well, using your hands to get rid of any lumps of butter and ensuring the mixture is fully blended together |
| Step 5 | Stir in the soaked fruit, which will have plumped-up over overnight. Next, stir in the treacle, brandy and beaten egg. |
| Step 6 | Mix well, and stand overnight. While this isn't necessary, the marinating helps the spices soak in. Before you're ready to cook, stir in the sixpence. It's traditional for everyone to give the pudding a turn with a wooden spoon at this stage, and make a wish. |
| Step 7 | Use the knob of butter to grease the pudding bowl, and tip the Christmas pudding mixture into it. |
| Step 8 | Cut one circle of greaseproof paper, which is few inches bigger than the rim of the bowl. Use a large elastic band to secure it over the pudding bowl with a folded pleat running through the middle. This will room to allow the pudding to release excess steam. Cover the top with a piece of tin foil (same size as the greaseproof paper) and then tie it tightly with the string. |
| Step 9 | Make a loop of string across the top, to fashion a handle, so the pudding can be easily lifted in and out of the pan. |
| Step 10 | If you are using a steaming pot, pour some water into the bottom of the stock pot – about one eighth full – so that the steaming basket sits in the bottom, just above the water level. Bring the water to boil, and place the Christmas pudding in the basket. |
| Step 11 | If you don’t have a steaming basket, simply use the upturned saucer or ramekin so that the pudding basin is kept away from direct contact with the base of the pan. Then fill the stock pot with water to around half-way up the side of the pudding basin. |
| Step 12 | Put on the lid, and steam at a gentle simmer for four hours. Keep an eye on the water to make sure that the pan doesn't boil dry, and add more water from the kettle to keep it topped-up if needed |
| Step 13 | If the lid of the stock pot doesn't fit on tightly, it's not ideal, but not disastrous– as long as there's plenty of steam circulating. Keep an even more careful eye on water levels though, as a loosely-covered pot is more likely to boil dry. |
| Step 14 | Lift the pudding out of the pan after four hours, making sure you keep the greaseproof lid on – that way you can store the Christmas pudding for up to two months. |
| Step 15 | On Christmas Day, steam the pudding again for another two hours, and serve – perhaps with a sprig of holly on top, and a splash of brandy to light. |
Christmas Pudding Day!
Stir up, we beseech thee
The pudding in the pot
And when we get home
We’ll eat it all hot!
(The Choirboy’s popular rhyme of the time)
Historical Note:
The idea of adding silver charms and silver coins, probably harks back to earlier traditions of adding a dried bean or pea to festive cakes and puddings. These were always added to Twelfth Night cakes and the person who found the bean was “crowned” the King or Queen of the Bean or Pea for the night, a dubious pleasure that nowadays involves you having to buy a round of drinks! In France, a bean or little porcelain figure is still added to their Twelfth Night or Epiphany cakes, and a paper crown is included so you may “crown” your Twelfth Night king or queen! I still add a sixpence to my pudding, and you can sometimes find packs of Pudding Charms for sale; the coin is supposed to bring you worldly fortune, a thimble brings you a life of God’s blessings and a ring means a marriage!
Deborah says
How lovely to see the tradition still alive. I confess, for two it is not worth making one big pudding these days, as with smaller appetites too there is seldom room for pudding, so I buy a good quality, organic, single serve which is more than enough to finish the meal.
Previously, I used Delia’s recipe which I found reliable and very good, and they kept so well so I made two every other year!
I love the shiny sixpenny piece.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Deborah – this amount of mixture will make 6 small individual puddings, which may be a nice idea for just the two of you maybe?
I have never made Delia Smith’s recipe, but love this recipe that I discovered in an old cookbook:
https://www.lavenderandlovage.com/2012/11/stir-up-sunday-traditions-and-my-traditional-victorian-christmas-pudding-recipe.html
I was THRILLED with the 1916 sixpence, so much history in one little coin!
Karen
Deborah says
Great suggestion. Thank you!
Karen Burns-Booth says
You are welcome Deborah! Karen
Dom says
I adore your stir up sunday post… it’s so evocative of better times… cannot WAIT till Christmas! Love traditions like this. I must get myself a little silver sixpence!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Dom – I LOVE my little silver sixpence too! Karen
Toby @ Plate Fodder says
I ADORE a good Christmas Pudding! It looks beautiful. I bet you’d be hard-pressed to wait until Christmas Eve to tuck in :).
As a note to your readers, they can also substitute GF crumbs and baking mix for regular wheat for a gluten-free version – they work equally well in the pudding.
Lucky is the boy that snags the Six Pence!