Christmas Pudding

Stir-up Sunday

By tradition, Christmas pudding is made on Stir-up Sunday — the last Sunday before the season of Advent, which falls in late November. The name comes from the collect for that day in the Book of Common Prayer: “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people.” Each member of the family stirs the mixture once, from east to west (in the direction of the wise men’s journey), making a wish. The mixture is made at least a month before Christmas to allow the flavours to mature.

The maturing process

Christmas pudding improves dramatically with age. The dried fruit absorbs the stout and brandy; the spice flavours mellow and deepen; the colour darkens further toward an almost black density. Puddings made in October for Christmas eating are noticeably better than those made just before. They are stored in cool conditions, sometimes fed additional brandy through a skewer hole weekly, and require only a final steaming of 2–3 hours on Christmas Day.

The flaming ceremony

The Christmas Day ritual involves turning the pudding out onto a plate, warming brandy in a ladle, pouring it over, and setting it alight. The blue flame — burning off the alcohol — is brief but dramatic. The pudding arrives at table still faintly blue-flaming. Traditional decorations include a sprig of holly pressed into the top before flaming. The ceremony is as important as the eating.

Hidden coins

The tradition of baking silver coins into the pudding — and before that, a silver sixpence, a thimble, a ring, and other tokens — dates from at least the Tudor period. Finding the coin in your portion brings luck in the coming year. The tradition of putting small objects in the pudding was a medieval practice linked to Twelfth Night cakes.