Christmas Pudding Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why do you have to boil Christmas pudding for so long? ›

Most Christmas puddings are made with suet (shredded beef fat) and this tends to take longer to melt than butter, so the pudding needs a long cooking time to make sure that the fat has melted and combined properly with the other ingredients.

It's best not to. Suet is a very hard fat, which melts slowly through a mixture during the cooking, whereas butter melts very easily and quickly through a mixture. They are different types of fats and shouldn't be substituted for each other.

Eggs can also make the pudding a little bit lighter and the main risk is that without eggs the pudding could be a little rubbery in texture. If you are worried, we suggest taking a small spoonful from the centre of the pudding as it sits in the basin.

If water has entered the wrapped pudding basin then it is likely that the pan was boiling a little too hard, and may also have been too full of water, meaning the water came up and over the top of the pudding basin which makes it easier for water to enter.

Ideally we would suggest that when the pudding is made it is steamed for 8 hours (the combined time of the first and second steamings) as the steaming is important for the flavour of the pudding. The pudding can then be microwaved to reheat it on Christmas Day.

To test if the pudding's cooked, pierce the foil and paper with a skewer and wiggle it to make the hole bigger, or it will be wiped clean of any mixture when you pull it out.

The pudding should be stored in a cool, dark and dry place. If the pudding is in a warm and humid environment (such as a steamy kitchen) then there is a risk that some mould will develop on the pudding. If you live in a warm or humid climate then it may be better to store the pudding in the fridge or to freeze it.

Some Christmas puddings, made with dried fruit in the traditional way, are fine to be eaten as much as two years after they were made. "Bear in mind if the pudding is alcohol-free, of course, it will last a good while with the sugar content, but it will not last as long without alcohol to preserve it," stresses Juliet.

Still, there are some decent substitutes that will get you close. Some recipes recommend using frozen butter as a substitute for suet, but this is risky as the butter melts much faster than suet and your dish will become greasy and heavy. If you can't find suet or you just don't want to use it, try shortening instead.

However, they're often just whacked in on 'high' for a few minutes until they look cooked. “Quite frankly, overcooking Christmas puddings kills the flavour, and that's a shame after all the effort and wonderful ingredients I've put into it!

Is it safe to put coins in Christmas pudding? ›

As mentioned above, most modern coins contain nickel and/or brass, which can react with the ingredients in the pudding. For those who want to honour this age-old tradition, we recommend using specially-made coin tokens that are safe for use.

If the pudding has been stored in a cool, dry place and has been tightly sealed or wrapped then it may well still be fine, but you will need to use your own judgement to decide whether it is fit to eat.

Since traditional Christmas pudding is made with a variety of dried fruits and nuts along with eggs and suet (animal fat)- the high content of the liquor helps it taste better and better over time, with no risk of spoiling even two years after they are made!

Though in older times the choice was more to do with economy, breadcrumbs give the pudding a much lighter texture. And again, use just enough flour to hold the mixture gently together. Not too many eggs, and more egg yolk that white if you can.

Use a large casserole / stew pan with a trivet in the bottom (if you haven't a trivet try a metal plate turned upside down). Place the pudding on top then fill with boiling water so that it comes about 1/3^rd of the way up the basin. Cover the casserole pan with a lid.

It definitely can't be eaten uncooked, but, once cooked and cooled, you can eat any leftover Christmas pudding cold.

Cooked Pudding Mix

Place the saucepan on the stove top over low to medium heat. Stir the pudding constantly while bringing the mixture to a low boil. After 1 minute of boiling, remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir again and carefully pour the hot pudding into glasses or a pie crust.

In their original form they were made of a variety of chopped meats, usually mutton or beef, with vegetables and fruits. Its liquid consistency allowed the pudding to be boiled in a cloth, to create a firm and filling pudding. Eventually the vegetables fell away, but the fruits remained.